


Angel in a gilded cage

by asamandra



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dark Magic, F/M, M/M, Magic, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Prompt Fill, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Torture, Winged Clint Barton, slave!Clint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-05
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2018-01-03 13:58:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 23,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1071257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asamandra/pseuds/asamandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint was chosen by a high paying client to be made into a special sex toy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt on avengerkink: [Clint/Tony Wing Fic possible non-con, slavery ](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/17613.html?thread=40839885#t40839885)
> 
> A Magician shows up at the Avengers tower, snaps his fingers and makes Clint disappear. Tony, Clint's almost boyfriend, freaks out, but the Magician vanishes leaving the Avengers very few clues to work with.
> 
> Clint wakes up in a large human-sized birdcage a week later half-naked with wings. Chains hold Clint still as he panics over the changes done to his body. The Magician explains what’s going to happen. Clint was chosen by a high paying client to be made into one of the Magician’s special sex toys.
> 
> A man paid The Magician to change Clint into an Angel and cage him. Once the money goes through Clint his left alone with his buyer, except at some point during the transaction another buyer came forward – Tony Stark.
> 
> Bonuses:
> 
> -Clint doesn't react well to having wings  
> -The wings are just for decoration, not for actual flight.  
> -The wings are sensitive and painful and Clint has to take special SHIELD painkillers that make him over emotional. So, mood swings. Crying, yelling, needing to suddenly be cuddled...he has issues.  
> -Tony, although freaked at first, steps up to take care of Clint and is surprisingly patient and reassuring.  
> -The original buyer resurfaces to claim Clint (hence the possible non-con, but it's not necessary)

On a scale from one to ten of the weirdest things ever happened to the Avengers this whole mess was definitely an eleven. 

It started on one of the team-bonding-and-getting-the-alien-and-the-old-guy-updated-movie-nights. Thor lounged on one of the love seats, his head on one armrest, his feet on the other, Steve sat with Natasha on the other love seat, his arm carefully around her waist and she leaned against his shoulder. Bruce dozed in one of the armchairs, his glasses on his chest and his mouth slightly open. Tony lay on the big couch, a cushion behind his head and Clint's feet in his lap and slowly massaging the toes. The archer currently had the huge bowl on his stomach and flicked popcorn into Bruce's mouth and his grin got even broader each time one of the flakes hit their destination. The only one really watching the movie, Jaws, was Thor.

When they heard the _Ding!_ from the elevator Tony furrowed his brows and turned his head. They didn't expect anyone and Jarvis would've announced any visitors. So it had to be someone from inside of the 'Upper floors', Pepper, Happy, Jane, Phil... 

“Good afternoon, Lady and Gentlemen,” they heard an unfamiliar sounding voice and now all of them more or less scrambled up. The bowl with popcorn fell to the floor and Bruce spat out the flakes Clint had thrown into his mouth. Into the living room walked a huge guy, as tall as Thor, late sixties with white hair and a white beard and he wore a suit and a cape. It was a really strange clothing but even more strange was his cane. It looked like a snake with green, glowing eyes. 

“No need to rise, I'm just here to collect something.” The man grinned.

“Who the hell are you?” Tony asked and glared. Jarvis should've warned them. He needed to have a heart to heart with the AI.

“And what do you want here?” Natasha added, reaching for one of the knives she sure as hell had somewhere in her clothes. Thor already had called for Mjölnir and Bruce glared angrily at the intruder.

“Malcolm,” the man introduced himself and bowed slightly. 

“Listen, Mr. Malcolm...” Steve started but the man shook his head.

“No, not Mr. Malcolm. _The_ Malcolm.” 

“What do you want?” Clint asked now and the man's grin got broader. 

“Thanks for asking, Mr. Barton.” He moved one step forward but suddenly both Clint and Natasha had throwing knives in their hands and pointed at him and Thor made a threatening step in his direction. “You. I'm here for you.” He lifted his cane, the eyes of the snake glowed in a deep green and he slammed it down on the floor. 

Clint was gone.

No one really saw it. One moment he was here, the next he was gone. His knives lay on the floor but the archer has vanished.

“Clint!” Tony yelled and the others surged forward to attack the man but he once again slammed his cane onto the floor. And all of them stopped dead in their tracks, unable to move.

“It's nothing personal, it's just business. Supply and demand. You, Mr. Stark, should understand it.” He grinned and then sighed happily. “Well, I'll leave you now. My spell will subside in a few minutes. No need to try to find me. You will fail. Have a nice evening.” 

The man turned and went to the elevator and he didn't seem to be in a hurry. He smirked when he looked back at the Avengers before he pressed the button and the cabin door closed.  
About two minutes later the spell ended and all of them slumped down to the floor. 

“Jarvis!” Tony yelled but the AI didn't answer. “Jarvis, what the fuck happened here?” 

Steve, Natasha and Thor were on their way down to the lobby. Only Bruce stayed with Tony who stared disbelievingly at the throwing knives on the floor. 

“Jarvis?” He tried again but he got still no response. 

“Tony, we'll find him.” Bruce placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. 

“I know. And if it's the last thing I'll do,” he spat. “I will find him!”


	2. Chapter 2

“He's gone. No one has seen him or Clint,” Natasha huffed angrily the moment she left the elevator. Tony was in the control room and worked frantically to get Jarvis back online.

“Fuck,” he spat and slammed his fist down on the counter beside him. He felt the bones crunch painfully but that didn't stop him to continue to type commands on the keyboard. “Jarvis?” He asked and stared at the screen in front of him but still got no reaction.

“Is that everything you gonna do? Getting your toy back?” Natasha snarled and came over to him.

“He said it's futile to follow him and honestly, I tend to believe a person who can make another person disappear without a trace but I'll find him my way.” 

“Jarvis?”

“I'm sorry, sir. I guess someone blocked a few of my subroutines.” He sighed when the AI finally answered. 

“I know. Jarvis, please tell me the security system still worked,” Tony still typed and now Natasha looked over his shoulder. The AI kept quiet for a few seconds.

“Yes and no, sir. I have to admit that it malfunctioned in certain areas.” Jarvis sounded abashed and Tony closed his eyes. 

“Let me guess, the upper floors, the elevator, the lobby?” 

“Yes, sir.” Tony once again hit the counter. 

Bruce, who was following the other Avengers, came back and Tony could see, that he had bad news as well. 

“Steve and Thor still search, Tony, but... the guy left the building and disappeared.”

“Fuck!” Tony cursed once again and hit the counter for the umpteenth time. They all knew that he and Clint were really close. They weren't _together_ but they also weren't not together. It was difficult but Bruce knew what the archer meant to Tony and that they both still had a few trust issues – Tony because Pepper left him for Happy and Clint because Phil lied about his death for so long after waking up – and he also knew what this situation would do to Tony. He sighed and grabbed his hand to prevent him from breaking his bones.

“Jarvis, call Steve. They don't need to search anymore because they won't find him. At least not around the Tower.” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose after a long glance at Bruce.

“Natasha, can you contact SHIELD? They need to know and we need their help.” She looked at Tony for a long moment. It's unusual for Tony to ask for help.

He went back to the keyboard and typed a few lines and Bruce could see that he wrote a search algorithm to find everything he could get about _The Malcolm_. Natasha had left the room with her phone in her hand, already calling SHIELD when Bruce heard the elevator. Apparently Jarvis had called Phil and he came in, still in his pajamas and a dressing gown. 

“What happened?” he asked and Bruce sighed and told him.

“He calls himself _the_ Malcolm? That's... strange, I'd say. And you said he slammed his cane down on the ground and Barton was gone?”

“Yes. No one had seen anything and he had done something to Jarvis, the security system has failed to catch him on screen.”

“Damn.” He reached into the pocket of his dressing gown to take his own mobile and he dialed. Bruce didn't know what to do and so he went to the living room to clean away the mess. The popcorn bowl and all the flakes were still on the floor.

“Why should we come back?” Bruce could hear Steve's voice and he left the living room and went back to the control room. 

“Because we don't find him around the tower. He can make people disappear with his cane. Don't you think he knows how to clear out?” Tony spat.

“It's not necessary to quarrel when we need to find our lost friend.” Thor's voice. 

“Sorry, I'm just...” Tony said and now Bruce entered the control room. Natasha and Phil were still talking into their phones and Steve and Tony faced each other and it reminded Bruce on their _discussion_ on the helicarrier.

“Guys, Thor's right. We don't need you two to fight now. Steve, you've seen the guy. Can you sketch him? Tony, can you find him when you have a picture of the Malcolm?” Bruce took the place beside Thor and the other two men glared at each other for a few seconds more before both of them nodded. Steve left to get his sketchbook and Tony went back to the keyboards to type something. No one of them said a word. But about ten minutes later Steve handed Tony a picture of the guy and Tony took it without his usual hesitation, Jarvis scanned it and added it to the search algorithm. 

“Fury'll come over.” Natasha said. 

“Agent May said she will be here as well in a few. She called my team and we're already on it to find Clint.” Phil put the phone back in his dressing gown. With a nod he left the control room to go to his apartment. He didn't want to face his team in his pajamas. 

When the others followed him and Tony was alone in the control room he stared at the picture of _The Malcolm_. “I'll get you, bastard.” he muttered and then he rose to pin the picture Steve had drawn onto the wall. “I'll get you!”


	3. Chapter 3

_The Malcolm entered his castle the usual way, by magic. It was the only way to enter it. He whistled a tune and moved his cane in circles beside him. Buoyantly he strolled down the corridor to his room where he stripped out of his formal wear. He still whistled while he put his suit away and slipped into one of his comfortable robes._

_When he left his room and went down to his lab he had his cane still with him. It's not that he needed it to walk, it's just a very stylish version of a wand._

_To enter his lab he had to press his hand against a certain brick in the wall and then it swung back. No one ever figured the mechanism out. He grinned, when he saw his newest acquisition lying in the cage in the middle of the room. The Amazing Hawkeye, one of the Avengers, and it was so easy to take him prisoner. Not more difficult than any other of his projects. He went over to the side room to take a look at his other prisoners but they were all still asleep in their cages. And he won't let them wake up in the next days. Not until their transformations were completed._

_With a happy sigh he went back to his lab, opened the cage to retrieve the man in there. His customer was right. He was pretty and he could understand why he would want to have him. It would be a pleasure to transform him into one of his pliant toys._

_The Malcolm pulled the prisoner out of his cage. But despite his lithe and lissom figure he was heavier than expected. His body was pure muscles and no fat. Wheezing he lifted him onto the lab table and took a deep breath afterwards._

_He was out cold and his magic held him under, he wouldn't wake up. With his scissors he cut his clothes off of his body and took a look. Damn, that man needs a lot more work than expected. He should've asked for more money. All these ugly scars. Really, really a lot of work. He turned him around to look at his back but that was even more ugly. Not only marks from fights and whatever he does for a living, no, there he had whip and torture marks. Ugly._

_With a sigh The Malcolm went to one of his racks, took a mortar and started to fill it with herbs and other stuff. Sometimes he took a look at the book on his table and measured out the ingredients painstakingly before he filled them into the mortar. When he was done he reread the instruction once again before he started to grind them into a powder. It took some time and strength to pulverize the stuff. He took a glass vial, filled it with a ruby liquid from one of the shelves and added two spoons of the powder out of the mortar. He corked the vial and then shook it careful till the liquid turned blue. He took the vial with pliers and heated it over the burner on the other side of his table. Carefully he shook it till the liquid bubbled and went clear._

_The Malcolm was pleased and he placed the vial on his worktable to cool down. He went back to the other table with the prisoner and he rummaged for his manacles. It was easier to leave him here than to carry him around all the time. He fastened the chains to the table and then tied his hands to the sides and his feet to the corners. He placed a chain over his waist and one over his chest. This should do the job. The Malcolm took his cane and touched the chains and the manacles and they tightened immediately._

_With a sigh he went back to his table and tested the liquid. It was cold enough. Carefully he took the vial and turned to Hawkeye, moved his head back and forced his mouth open before he poured the clear potion in it. The young man swallowed instinctively and coughed a bit but didn't wake up. But it started to work straightaway._

_The prisoner started to cramp and fought against the chains without waking up. He knew that it was painful and he knew that it took some time and that was why he held them under with his magic. He hated it when they screamed in pain. He wanted to be able to work in quietness and not to have to hear them crying and pleading for mercy._

_He looked at the huge floor clock. This will take some time. In the meantime he could take a look at one of his other projects. Two of Marcie's new breasts were a little bit sagged. The other four were firm and full but the lower pair didn't work quite right. He had to modify her again. He took his cane and he left his lab whistling, went to the other room to get the young woman out of her cage and to take a look at her body. Nearly perfect._

_With another sigh he shouldered the woman and carried her back to his lab. He had promised to deliver only quality products and that meant lots and lots of work. When he had tied her down to another table he went to his worktable and flipped through the pages of one of his potion books. He whistled happily when he had found the recipe and started to brow the potion._


	4. Chapter 4

“We've searched everything Tony, every database, every archive, every... everything!” Natasha threw her arms in the air while snarling at the genius. “Don't you think we'd try everything? There is _nothing_ to find about someone who calls himself The Malcolm.” 

“But he was here! You've seen him as well as me! He stood in our living room and he took Clint and I want to know why and I want to know where to... and I want him back!” 

“Oh, and you think we don't?” Natasha hissed and her look could kill right now.

“No... damn, no! That wasn't what I've said. It's just... it's not possible that we can't find the slightest hint!” Tony yelled. 

“Come on, Tony, Natasha, you two work since three days without a break. You need to sleep.” Steve entered the control room and looked at the two staring at each other.

“You can take a break. I'll...” Tony started and Natasha's glance got even darker.

“If you think that I let you...” She started and finally Steve lost control. They quarreled for hours now and both looked like death warmed over.

“It's enough! Both of you!” he spat and slammed his hand on the table. Tony and Natasha turned her head, slightly confused. In all the time they had never seen Steve lose his shit.

“You can't help Clint if you fight constantly. You Tony, shower and then go to bed! I'll send Bruce after you! You, Nat, with me!”

“But...” Tony said and Steve raised one finger and shushed him.

“One more word and I'll knock you out. Bed!” Steve pointed with his finger now to the elevator and after a short duel with their eyes – Tony lost – the genius huffed and left. 

“Jarvis, can you please tell Bruce if Tony still stays awake?” Steve addressed the AI.

“Certainly, Captain Rogers,” Jarvis answered.

Steve grabbed Natasha's arm and glared at her. “And you go to bed as well. You're doing Clint a disservice if you get sleep-deprived.” 

“Yes, yes,” Natasha spat and Steve could hear in her voice that she was at the end of her rope but didn't want to admit it. “But...” 

“No, Bruce and Thor are here and they will wake us the moment they found something.” 

“Fine!” Steve, who saw how upset the Russian really was, wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to his chest.

“I'm sorry, Nat. Really. And we all do everything we can.” He stroked her hair and she finally nodded. 

“I know, Steve. But... Like Tony said, I want him back. He's the closest to a family I've ever had. I'm in fear for his life.” 

“You're not alone. We all do. But we _will_ find him. And if it's the last thing we do.” 

 

 

_The Malcolm looked up from the book he just wrote in when he heard the clock strike. He sighed, put the quill aside and rose. He went from his office to his lab, pressed the hand against the brick and the wall swung aside to let him in. Clint lay still on the table, his body tied down and he was unconscious._

_“Wonderful,” he murmured when he saw the scars nearly completely gone. Only faint hints of them. His skin was as smooth as it had been the day he was born. Oh yes, his customer would love this. He looked at the vial. One portion of the potion was left. He sighed. He definitely should've demanded more money. This boy was a lot of work._

_He bend his head back and poured the potion in his mouth and when Clint had swallowed it, the Malcolm turned to his worktable and started to brew the next vial of this potion. Even if the scars were only faintly visible, he had to give it to him at least for another day. And then he could finally start with his actual work on him._

_Sometimes he thought he's to old for this shit. But then... with a smile on his face he thought, that he really loved his job. All those pretty creatures and he could bring them to perfection. He started to whistle when he grabbed the mortar and filled it with herbs..._


	5. Chapter 5

“I found something!” Bruce yelled and entered the control room. All of the Avengers looked up expectantly. “A friend of me works at... doesn't matter. I know someone who knows someone and... there's this old book, I mean, it's really old. It's written in Old Frankish and that was... really rare at that time.” 

“Bruce, come to the point,” Tony interrupted him impatiently.

“Sorry. Okay, this book tells a few legends and stories and one of them is of a magician who called himself Le Mal D'Colm and who sells mythical creatures.” 

“Mythical creatures? What kind of mythical creatures?” Steve frowned.

“It's said, that he sold mermaids and werecreatures and dwarfs and giants and once he should have sold an angel and a devil.” 

“Bruce, that's... that's crap!” Tony snapped. “You know that there are no such things!” 

“Really? There are no such things like huge, green giants who can level whole cities?” Bruce glared and Tony gritted his teeth and turned around.

“Well, but even if this is true. You've said the book is really old...” Steve started.

“Fifth century,” Bruce nodded.

“That guy is dead since fifteen hundred years.” Natasha added.

“It is not impossible that this man is still alive.” Thor said and all turned around. “According to your calendar I'm also more than thousand of your years old.” 

“Did you ever hear something about this magician?” Tony asked and folded his arms in front of his chest.

“No. But I'm not the only Asgardian who sometimes was on Midgard. I can ask Heimdall.”

“It can't hurt,” Steve said when he saw that Tony wanted to say something probably sullen. Thor nodded and left the tower. 

“Tony, what's your problem?” Natasha finally snapped when she saw the genius's face.

“That's futile. We search in old books while this guy has Clint and does... I don't want to think about what he does to him. Maybe he's already dead!” He threw his arms in the air in desperation. “And we? We have the best tech and SHIELD and... and... and we can't find one man.” 

“We will find him!” Natasha spat and Tony pressed his lips together.

“Yes? When? This guy took him six days ago. Six days! He can...”

“Stop that now, Tony. You're the guy who always says that there's a solution for everything.” Steve placed a hand on Natasha's shoulder and squeezed it slightly. 

“But I'm useless! All I can do is sit around and search and... and I don't have an idea where to search anymore. I even hacked a few satellites and didn't find him.” 

“Maybe Thor will get an answer.” Bruce mentioned and placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. 

“Fuck! I... I should've told him,” Tony muttered and wiped his hand over his face. “I should've told him what he means to me.” 

“The fuck, Stark! He _knows_! And let me tell you, he could've told you about his feelings for you as well but it's definitely not helpful right now to wallow in self-pity and all this self-consciousness... that's not you, goddammit! I'm fed up with your pessimism! Now get your head out of your ass and let's try this goddamn book for heaven's sake! We've seen so much things who seemed impossible in the last time, why the heck not a medieval magician? As long as I don't see a body Clint is alive and as long I will search for him and I suggest you stop wailing and do the same!” Natasha burst out in anger and yelled at Tony. 

The genius squinted his eyes, pressed his lips together and left without another word. The Russian huffed and slammed her hand down on one of the tables. “Fuck!” 

“It's okay, Nat. I understand you. And he does understand you as well.” Steve took her hand and pulled her up to him, wrapped his arms around her. 

“Bruce?” Steve looked at the scientist and he left after a short nod. He would call his friend and get the book. It was the only lead they had so far. He hoped that Thor would get something useful.

 

 

_The Malcolm entered his castle. He whistled and moved his cane in circles. He went to his room to undress and slip into some comfortable robes before he took the pouch he just had gotten and went to the stairs down into his treasure chamber. He stopped in front of the door to the corridor and placed his hands on two points on the left and the right of the door, closed his eyes and let his magic seep through his hands into the patterns and all the traps and other safety measures got disarmed. Only then he opened the door and walked down the corridor. With the key he had on a chain around his neck he opened the last gate and stepped into his treasure chamber. And like every time he had to smile when he saw all this treasures he had there. One corner was filled with gold and silver bars, a few chests contained all forms of jewels, mostly rubies, sapphires and emeralds but also a few diamonds. He still liked the colored stones more even if nowadays the diamonds were more expensive. He had a chest filled with the most beautiful pearls, he had expensive books and paintings and statues and vases and other works of art and he really, really loved to be in his treasure chamber to admire his belongings._

_But then he remembered the pouch and he opened it and poured the rubies into the chest. Beautiful, beautiful rubies and all he had to do was to make this man a mermaid. Scarlett was perfect when he delivered her and his customer was delighted. Mermaids were easy to do. The only thing was to make them able to breath under water but in the last thousand years he had mastered this problem. And to transform the legs into a fishtail was routine by now._

_The Malcolm sighed and finally left the chamber, locked the gate and left the corridor. He armed all the traps again and went to his lab. He had to finish his angel. Two days ago he had implanted the _seed_ for the wings and they should've grown enough by now. Luckily the customer didn't want to have him to be able to fly. That would have been a mess. Then he would have to replace all his bones to make them similar to bird bones. But now, grow a pair of wings and remove the scars and body hair, that's the job._

_He found Clint on the table where he left him, on his stomach, his hands and feet tied to the corners and his waist strapped down. He could see him move slightly and he knew the process was very painful. The boy already had two huge bulges on his back and the skin was really taut. He pressed into the bulges and he could feel the wings move. Yes, it was time to free them. He rummaged through a drawer to find the curved dagger. That thing was sharp as a razor and he carefully searched for the right spot to make the first cut. When he sliced through the skin he could hear the boy groan but he didn't wake up. He couldn't._

_He put the dagger aside and pulled the wing out. It wasn't fully grown, he knew, but in two days he was ready. The wing was white but now it had lots of red stains from the blood. He needed to clean them afterwards. When he was done with the first wing he freed the second wing before he squeezed the cut skin together and let his magic seep into the wounds and they closed. One of the advantages of magically healed wounds was that they didn't scar. He went for a bowl, filled it with water and started to wipe the blood off of his body, before he started to clean the wings. They will be beautiful when they are fully grown, white and sparkling. Once again he sighed and thought, he should have demanded more money._


	6. Chapter 6

“I have good and bad news, my friends,” Thor said. He just came back from Asgard and didn't bother to enter the building and wait for the elevator, he used Mjölnir and flew up to Tony's roof deck and entered the penthouse where he found Tony, Steve and Natasha. 

“What...” Tony started but then his voice left him and he swallowed. “What kind of bad news?” Natasha finished his question.

“I've asked Heimdall and Clint is currently not on Midgard or any of the nine worlds. That is the bad news. Heimdall can't see him. However, he promised, the moment Clint appears on one of the worlds he will open the Bifrost and bring him to Asgard. But I've talked to a few friends and Lady Sif had heard of a man, a magician, with the name Malk Olm. She said, she knows someone who knows how to contact him.” 

“You know someone who knows someone who knows someone... it's getting better and better,” Tony muttered. 

“It is possible to contact him?” Steve decided to ignore Tony and asked the Asgardian, who just frowned at the genius. 

“Yes, but we have to... well... sort of summon him.” Thor nodded slowly.

“Summon? What... How...” Tony had started pacing.

“Lady Sif will talk to her friend and then she will come to tell you.” Thor placed a hand on Tony's shoulder and the genius finally nodded.

“Thank you, Thor. I appreciate your help.” 

 

 

_The first thing he heard was a clinking sound. He had no idea where it came from, just that it was annoying. The next thing he realized was breathing. As if there were other people around him and they breathed and clinked with something. And then his nose started to work. It smelled... awful. Like people crowded in a too narrow space, sweat, blood, urine and other things he couldn't identify. He didn't dare to open his eyes. Usually, when he woke and was this disoriented, the lights were too harsh and so he waited, listened. He could hear the other people, the clinking, sometimes a creaking and finally he opened his eyes. Just a tiny slit. It was dim around him and he opened his eyes completely. The first thing he saw was a dirty floor, about three yards below him._

_He swallowed but it hurt, his throat was dry and his lips chapped. He pressed his hands against the... floor? No! Bars... he was in a cage? Why was he in a cage? He tried to sit up but something was wrong. His body felt wrong. His balance was wrong. He was light-headed and had to support himself to get into an upright position._

_Whoever put him in the cage had also fastened manacles around his wrists and chained him to the floor of his cage. His eyes had already adapted to the dimness around him and he saw more cages, but his was the only one hung under the ceiling. But what he saw in the other cages made his blood run cold. He wasn't sure if he could call them people despite being vague human-like. There was a woman with cat-tail, cat-ears and a tri-colored fur. There was a man in an aquarium with fishtail. There was a fucking centaur. He saw a woman with six breasts and one person without any sexual characteristics. He couldn't identify if it was male or female. And in one cage sat a female elf._

_Clint nearly panicked. Where the fuck was he? And why was he here? What kind of creatures are that? He startled when he saw a movement behind him and he turned around... and stopped dead in his tracks. Wings. He saw... goddamn wings behind him. He had wings! No! No, no, no, no, no! That wasn't true, that wasn't_ possible!!

_He teared at the chains that held him, tried to get away but now that he knew that they were there he could_ feel _these fucking wings. They fluttered. No! God, what happened here?  
_

_“You shouldn't do that, Clint,” a voice said and it sounded... amused?_

_“What?” He breathed. His wings spread threateningly and that hurt. He groaned in pain._

_“Stop struggling or I have to make you stop,” the voice said and now Clint could see a man... and he remembered that guy. He came into the tower while they had their movie night. He came into the tower... and then nothing._

_“Why am I here?” he asked after forcing these wings to stop moving. They fucking hurt. “And where did that fucking wings come from?”_

_“Your new owner wants an angel and I build him one.”_

_“My... my what?” He felt the panic again in his guts but he forced himself to stay calm._

_“Your new owner. The man who ordered you. You'll meet him tomorrow.”_

_“This is insane! Completely fucking insane! You can't sell me, I'm not a thing, not a slave!” Clint yelled and tugged at the chains._

_“Hmm... it seems I_ can _do it.” The man smirked and pointed with his hand at the chain that held the cage under the ceiling. He moved his hand downwards and the cage followed slowly. When it hovered just a few inches over the floor the man came over to him and walked round the cage to take a closer look at Clint._

_“Very well, the scars are gone, your body hair is gone, the wings are fully grown. Yes, tomorrow I can give you to your owner.”_

_“What? The... the scars?” Clint looked down on his body and found not a single scar left. They were gone as well as his body hair, not that he had that much. “What have you done?”_

_“You look like an angel, my boy. A beautiful angel. Your owner will be very pleased. Now sleep.” The man pointed with his hand at the cage and it moved up again and stopped in it former position. He waved his hand in a pattern and Clint felt his eyes flutter._

_“No, don't...” he managed before sleep overwhelmed him._

_“I should've demanded more money,” the Malcolm sighed for the umpteenth time. “Too much work, too much perfection, not enough money. I'm getting weak,” he mumbled when he left the room._


	7. Chapter 7

Tony sat on the deck, the book Bruce had _borrowed_ on his knees and a dictionary in his hand. He tried to read this stuff but that wasn't easy. First the language was really, really strange and then the letters barely decipherable. It was written in new roman cursive and that was a special case. Tony cursed even more but he wanted to see it himself and so he had to work through this awful scribbling. Jarvis was also on it but the AI had even more difficulties with the stuff. 

“Tony?” he heard a voice and looked up to see Thor and a woman beside him. “This is Lady Sif. I've told you she will come.”

Tony placed the book on the deckchair and rose.

“Hello,” he greeted her and she smiled at him. 

“Thor said, you're looking for The Malcolm? I've met him twice. Not a nice person, I have to admit.” 

“What can you tell me?” Tony asked and gestured at the deckchairs for the two to take a seat. When they all sat he offered them iced tea and Sif took a sip before she started.

“I was on Midgard a few times in my life. And there I stumbled upon him. The first time I met him was around the time where your people fought wars called the crusades. Do you know what he does?” 

“No. I try to decipher this book but... it's difficult.” Sif nodded and looked at Thor.

“The man who calls himself The Malcolm now... he's a slave trader. But it's not _the usual_ stock he offers. What this man offers is... very special, very exclusive, very expensive and very, very wrong. He offers...” she stopped again and looked at Thor but when he nodded she licked her lips and continued. “He offers sex-slaves. But... like I've said, not the usual ones. He changes them.”

“Changes them? How?” Tony frowned.

“The first time I've met him he just sold a young woman. And he had... I don't know how to explain this... she had a fur, looked like a dog with a snout and paws... it was awful. She clearly was human once but this man uses his magic to change people into very special sex toys. Whatever the customer wants – as long as it's not too absurd – he makes it come true.”

“Oh god!” Tony paled and had to take a sip of his tea. His mouth was so dry right now. All he could think right now was, what this guy could have done to Clint.

“The second time I've met him was four hundred of your years later. He just kidnapped a young woman. I've tried to help her but he disappeared. His magic is strong. Not even Heimdall can see him. We don't know where he lives. At least not on one of the nine worlds.” 

“What happened to her?” 

“I don't know. I've never seen her again.” 

“Thor said, you know how to contact him?” 

“Yes... and no,” she said but when Tony furrowed his brows she added. “I haven't tried it but I have talked to a woman who told me how to summon him.”

“Summon? I don't understand?” Tony was cofused.

“He doesn't live in one of the nine worlds. That means, wherever he lives , he has to go there by magic and the only way to _call_ him has to be magic.” 

“Okay, and how...” Tony couldn't finish this sentence. A bright light appeared around him, Thor and Sif and the next moment he found himself in a strange, spherical room and a huge guy with a sword stared at them.

“Heimdall!” Thor gasped startled. “Why did you call us?” 

“I've promised to bring your friend's mate to him whenever he appears on one of the nine worlds. Now it seems I can't do that. Something holds him back. But I can bring your friend to him.” The man said and did something with his sword and the room disappeared around Tony. 

 

 

_Clint woke in his cage when the man appeared again. He let it down to the floor and opened the door. Clint tried to move but the man held his hand up and shook his head and he couldn't move a hair._

_“What are you up to?” he asked. At least he still could speak._

_“I'm going to give you to your new owner.” He seemed cheerful and Clint paled. This couldn't be real. This was like one of his weird nightmares and he couldn't wake up._

_“This is insane. You can't sell me.”_

_“Why not?” The man looked at him now and furrowed his brows. He really seemed confused._

_“What? Why... because I'm a human and not a thing. I'm not a slave.”_

_“But you are a slave. And I will bring you to your owner.” He gestured at Clint and the chains around his wrists opened. The man gestured and at first Clint wanted to resist. But the alternative was to stay in this cage and he couldn't try to escape in it. So he rose carefully. The added weight on his back deranged his balance. Great, he thought when he left his prison. The man held up his hand and Clint felt the urge to go down to his knees. He tried to fight but his body didn't obey him. It did, what the man commanded and when he pointed at his hands Clint held them up. Grinning the man tied them together again and when he held out a gag all Clint could do was to glare at him while his mouth opened without him doing anything._

_“Good boy,” the man said and if looks could kill he would've burnt to ash in an instant. Clint glared at him so furiously he really wondered why he didn't drop dead._

_“Follow me,” he commanded and Clint rose. They left the room with the other cages and the man led him through rooms and corridors to a hall with an open ceiling. He pointed at a spot and Clint went over and knelt down. He fought, but his body did what the man wanted. It was even worse than Loki's mind control. There he had had at least the control over his body. Damn magicians, he thought and flinched when the man stepped in front of him, placed his hands on his shoulders and murmured something unintelligible. And then, the room faded and everything went dark._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Roman cursive](http://www.obib.de/Schriften/AlteSchriften/Lateinisch/Wachs.jpg), everytime a funny experience to read it... ;)


	8. Chapter 8

To say that Clint was scared out of his mind would put it mildly. His hands were bound in front of his body, he was gagged, he wore only pants and no shirt or shoes, he had fucking wings and he was going to be sold as a sex-slave. And the worst of all, whatever this man had done to him, he couldn't even struggle. No, he obediently followed him to wherever he wanted. He had never felt this helpless before, not even with Loki. 

The first thing he saw when they _arrived_ was an old, abandoned factory, or at least it looked like one. His captor pointed with his finger in a direction and Clint followed him. Inwardly he screamed and yelled but his body didn't obey him. They left the building and outside they got hit by sweltering heat. Definitely not New York, Clint thought. There wasn't too much outside. He could see a small town in the distance but on the grounds of this old factory they were alone. Well, nearly. 

A black stretch limousine waited and when Clint and his captor stepped out of the building a man emerged and opened the passenger's door. Another man came into his view and when his captor looked at him his body went down to the floor and he knelt. 

“Mr. Malcolm,” the new arrival said and smiled brightly and Clint's captor sighed audible.

“ _Not_ Mr. Malcolm. I'm _The_ Malcolm.” 

“I... I'm sorry... sir,” the man said and Clint's captor – The Malcolm? – seemed pleased. 

“Well, Mr. Poletto. I have your angel,” he pointed at Clint who glared furiously at the man who leered at him. 

“He's pretty,” the man said and came over to him. Clint could move his fingers and his hands clenched and unclenched but that was all he could do. He was still helpless since the Malcolm didn't let him move. His breathing sped up when Poletto – his new owner – walked around him, touched him, touched the wings. He groaned. They still were very sensitive and it hurt when they got touched. But Poletto didn't care. He grabbed his wings and unfolded them. Clint closed his eyes and groaned again.

“Wow, they are beautiful. But they don't work, right?” Clint couldn't see him but when he felt his hands on his back where the wings were attached to his body he flinched slightly.

“No, it would've taken much more time and effort,” the Malcolm explained. “And it would've been much more expensive,” he chuckled. Clint sensed a movement behind him and then he heard Poletto's voice in his ear and his hands on his waist.

“Tony Stark absorbed my company. He destroyed my family's business. He took everything what I've loved. Now I have what he loves,” Poletto chuckled and Clint felt one of his hands slide down over the curve of his ass and trailed through the crack upwards while the other hand stroked over his stomach and down between his legs, cupped his genitals. Clint shuddered and the clenching of his hand got even more frantic. In his current state he couldn't defend himself against this violation of his body. And he knew that this man would take him. Would force himself on him. Yes, Clint _was_ scared. He had been raped before and it wasn't one of his favorite experiences.

“Enough. You can do to him whatever you want _after_ you have paid for him.” The Malcolm shooed Poletto away who came back in Clint's view with an evil grin on his face. 

“Five million dollars in diamonds,” Poletto said and went to his car to get a briefcase. He handed it to the Malcolm who opened it and smiled, when he saw the diamonds. 

The Malcolm placed the briefcase on the floor and opened one of the pockets on his belt. He got a leather strap and to Clint's utter dismay he recognized it as a collar. No! They want to collar him. 

With wide eyes he managed to shake his head.

“With this collar the ownership and the control over him devolves upon you. He has to follow each and every command you give him, he can't run away from you, he can't harm you.” Poletto grinned and wanted to fasten the strap around Clint's throat when he heard a loud noise behind him and both, the Malcolm and Poletto turned around. Only Clint couldn't move but at least the damned collar was still not on him. 

“Stop!” someone yelled and Clint knew this voice. Tony!

“Do not touch this man, sorcerer!” another voice Clint knew. Thor.

The Malcolm moved one hand and Clint couldn't breath anymore. It felt as if he got strangled and he made a choking sound.

“Stop. Stay where you are,” the Malcolm said and the invisible hold around his throat got even tighter.

“Don't harm this man. We are here to negotiate with you about his fate,” a female voice. And Clint didn't knew her. He wished, he could see them but he still knelt with his back to Tony, Thor and whoever was with them. 

“Lady Sif. It's a pleasure to meet you again,” the Malcolm's voice was oily and Clint could see Poletto coming over to them, the collar still in his hands.

“No! There's nothing to negotiate. I'll take what I've paid for.” He tried to get to Clint but now the Malcolm held his hand in Poletto's direction and the man stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Wait.” The Malcolm looked at Tony, Thor and Lady Sif. “You want to negotiate. I'm listening.”

“I... I want to have him back,” Tony said and Clint saw the Malcolm nod. 

“I see.” He seemed to think about it but Poletto's face got bright red and twisted in rage.

“You can't do that. _I_ have ordered him. He's _mine_!” he spat and the Malcolm turned and looked at him deliberating. 

“Whatever he paid you, I'll give you twice the sum,” Tony said and Poletto howled in rage.

“You can't do that. We have a deal.” 

“Well, Mr. Poletto. You see, the effort I had with him was considerably larger than expected...” 

“I can also give you twice the sum,” Poletto spat and wanted to turn to his briefcase when Clint could hear Tony.

“I know this man, Malcolm. I know the financial condition he's in. He lost his company to me and... technically... he's bankrupt. Whatever he offered you, I can pay more and I'm willing to pay more. I just want to have Clint back.” 

The Malcolm kept quiet but then he lowered the hand that held Clint and he could breathe again. He slumped down and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

“All right. I'll give you time till tomorrow to bring me ten million dollars. But I want them either in diamonds, rubies, emeralds or sapphires. If you can't do that this man will get him.” The Malcolm pointed at Poletto. “I'll see all of you tomorrow.” 

Another move of his hand made Clint rise and when they turned around he could see Tony. He looked at him and Clint wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around the genius and hold him but he couldn't do anything but follow the Malcolm. 

“I'll get you!” Tony said when he and the Malcolm went back into the old factory. But instead of heading back to wherever the Malcolm lived he closed the doors with a wave with his cane. He made Clint walk to one of the pillars where he had to kneel again. The Malcolm fastened a chain to the ties that held his hands, pulled it taut over his head. He tied his legs down to the floor and Clint had to stay in this uncomfortable position. 

“We'll see, what your lover can do for you,” the Malcolm chuckled and disappeared out of his sight.

Clint swallowed. Tony was there to help him. Tony and Thor were there. They are going to help him and he felt a tiny tear of relief run over his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a little bit inspired by [this](http://asamandra.tumblr.com/post/114215057402/my-little-hawk-by-kingbirdkathy) picture ;)


	9. Chapter 9

“I need a phone,” Tony looked around but the town was a few miles away. 

“We can go to this town,” Thor pointed with his chin in the direction.

“You go, I'll wait here to make sure nothing happens to your friend,” Sif offered and Tony nodded thankful. 

“Thank you. Really, thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Sif smiled and went to the old factory to sit down and guard the entrance.

“Let's go?” Tony turned to Thor but Thor just sighed, grabbed Tony around the waist and rotated Mjölnir. In an instant they were in this town. But there he had the next problem. They were in an Arabian country, according to the writing above the _shops_. 

“Dammit, we don't have money and... and anything.” He looked down and saw the wristwatch. Well, it had to work. But he couldn't talk to the people, who now came out and looked at them. They just flew in with a giant hammer. Not many people could say that they had seen that before. At least not in this part of the world.

“Uhm... telephone?” Tony asked one of the men who furrowed his brows and didn't seem to understand. 

Thor looked confused and then turned to the man. “My friend here needs a telephone, can you help us?” 

The man tilted his head and then he nodded and he pointed with his finger in a direction and said something Tony didn't understand. But Thor apparently did. “Yes, I understand. Thank you.” Thor smiled at the man and clapped his shoulder.

“You understood what he had said?” Tony frowned.

“All speak, remember?” the Asgardian grinned. “There is a telephone in this shop.” Thor pointed at one of the buildings not far away.

“Right. I guess you didn't ask where we are?” Tony already was on his way to the phone and Thor followed him.

“No, but I can do that if you want me to.” 

“No. Later. Right now I need to call Pepper.” He found the telephone but he still didn't have money.

“Here,” he opened the strap of his watch and gave it to Thor, “give this to the owner and ask him if we can use his phone. Oh, and ask him where we are.” 

Thor talked to the man and came back a few minutes later. “You may use the telephone and he said we're about two hours outside of a city named Cairo.”

“Egypt, then. Okay.”

Tony went to the phone and called Pepper.

“Who are you?” she snarled. She didn't recognize the number.

“Pep, calm down. It's me, Tony.” 

“Tony?! Where for Pete's sake are you?”

“Apparently we're in Egypt. Pep, I need your help. I know that you know this diamond trader in Antwerp. I need 10 million in diamonds and I need them really, really fast.” 

“What? Why...” she started but Tony interrupted her.

“I've found Clint and... the man who has him wants 10 millions in diamonds or he sells him to another guy.”

“Oh my god! Tony...” 

“Pep... please!”

“Okay, okay. I'll call him. How fast can you be there?” 

“I don't know. Depends on how far away the next airport is and if we can get a vehicle...” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose but Thor tapped his shoulder.

“If you don't mind a slightly rough travel I can get you everywhere,” he said and Tony smiled thankfully.

“Fast. Thor can get us there.” 

“Okay, I'll call him. You'll find him in the diamond quarter. His name is Ilan Goveh.”

“Thanks, Pep. Oh, and Pep, please call Cap and tell him where we are. We might need them.” He quit the call. He knew that Jarvis could locate the phone from where he had called. 

“She'll call a friend of her.” He nodded at Thor.

“Well then, let's go to get our friend back.” 

They both left the shop and the owner waved at them, visibly pleased with the new watch around his wrist. 

“Are you ready?” Thor asked and Tony grimmaced.

“No. Not really. But let's do it.” 

 

 

Thor wasn't as fast as Tony in his Iron Man suit but he was fast. Two hours later they arrived in Antwerp and Thor had brought them to the diamond quarter.

“Where do I find Ilan Goveh?” Tony asked one of the traders after searching for half an hour. The man seemed disappointed but he showed him the direction and ten minutes later they entered his office.

“Ms. Potts already told me that you would come, Mr. Stark,” the man, a middle-aged, small guy with white beard, pointed at the chairs in front of his desk and both, he and Thor sat down. “It's a great pleasure to meet you finally in person.” He smiled.

“Thanks that you could meet us so fast.” Tony leaned back and accepted the tea one of Goveh's employees placed in front of him. 

“I understand that it's urgent and that you need 10 million dollars in diamonds.”

“Yes, or in rubies, emeralds or sapphires. And I need them till tomorrow.” Tony stirred sugar into the cup and took a sip before he leaned back.

“I can do that, Mr. Stark,” he said and this time he could hear Yiddish elements in his English. “But I don't have so much stones right here. Most of them are.. not ready or already sold. I need to ask a few other traders but...”

“Do whatever is necessary. I need the stones as fast as possible.”

“I'll call some colleagues and friends. Meet me here tomorrow in the morning. Then I will have your stones.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Oh, Ms. Potts has sent you a message.” Goveh added just before they wanted to leave his office. Tony looked at Thor and the Asgardian took the envelope.

They opened it outside. Pepper had organized them a hotel room and she'd sent the SI jet to Cairo to get them when they bought Clint back. And she had somehow organized that there were a few 100-Euro bills in the envelope. _Typical Pepper_ , he smiled slightly.

But then he searched for a taxi to drive them to the hotel. Tomorrow, tomorrow he would get Clint back.


	10. Chapter 10

_He groaned when he woke up. Everything hurt. His knees, his wrists, his jaw, his head, his... his_ wings _. He tried to swallow but his mouth was so dry. It wasn't a relaxing sleep, more an exhausted slumber because his body finally shut down. When he moved he felt his bladder full and he needed to relive himself._

_Apparently the Malcolm had heard his groaning and with a smirk he came over. He removed the gag and thankfully Clint worked his jaw, tried to get some spit back in his mouth. The man just shook his head, turned and came back with a canteen._

_“Drink,” he ordered and Clint couldn't resist. He was so thirsty and his mouth was so dry. He took a few sips but then the Malcolm removed the canteen and Clint nearly wailed._

_“You can have more later.” He hunkered down beside Clint and touched his abdomen, pressed onto his bladder. Clint wanted to shrink back but behind him was the pillar and it hurt when his wings connected with it. The Malcolm nodded and opened the chains that held Clint's hands over his head. He grabbed his elbow and pulled him up. His knees hurt and his feet were gone to sleep. But the Malcolm didn't wait. He dragged Clint to the corner far away and he stumbled behind him. He tried to protest but whatever the man had done, he couldn't speak right now._

_When they stopped the Malcolm stepped behind Clint, took the ties that held his hands together and held them with one arm over Clint's shoulder while the other reached into the pants he wore and got his dick out. Clint shook his head but the Malcolm just chuckled._

_“No need to be embarrassed, just let go. I know that you need to,” the larger man whispered into Clint's ear and Clint still tried to refuse. “Come on, you are the only one who has to suffer when you resist. Let go.” And Clint knew he was right. He closed his eyes and let go. It was still embarrassing._

_When he was done the Malcolm tucked his cock away and led Clint back to the pillar. He retied his hands to the chain and he let him drink a few more sips._

_“I don't have food, sorry. I didn't expect that we have to stay. Well, in a few hours your new owner is here and then this is his problem.”_

_Clint glared at him and when the Malcolm saw this he sighed and nodded and Clint felt something in his throat._

_“Why...” he could speak again, “why are you doing this?” he asked and the Malcolm sighed again._

_“Good question. Because I can?” The Malcolm sat down on a piece of rubble and wiped over his face._

_“You can't just kidnap people, do... things to them and then sell them.”_

_“Why not? What do I care about humans? You do the same to 'lower creatures'. You eat them, you experiment with them. I at least do not eat your people,” he chuckled._

_“Who are you?” Clint looked at the man and he looked old. Really old._

_“I am the Malcolm.” The man just shrugged as if this was explanation enough._

_“But...” Clint wanted to say even more when the Malcolm moved his hand and the strange feeling in his throat was back. His voice was gone again._

_“I do this because this is the job I'm good in. I sell you because it gets me the money I need to pay a bill, a huge bill, and it's the fastest way. Your people are sick enough to want this and I... I just give them what they want.” He chuckled at Clint's horrified expression and rose. But when he gestured with his hand at Clint the younger man felt once again sleep overwhelm him and he closed his eyes._

 

 

Ilan Goveh had the diamonds when Tony came back to his office. Of course he had them. He said, he should contact Pepper for the payment but Goveh just waved his hand. He already had done that. Tony was pretty sure that he would have to pay more than the 10 millions, at least the commission for his colleagues but he couldn't care less. Right now the only thing that was important was that he would get Clint out of this guy's clutches. 

He and Thor had talked a lot last night. Tony was still shocked to the core about the wings. Clint had wings. This monster had changed him. But Thor said, it could've been worse and mentioned the dog woman Lady Sif had seen. Tony didn't really feel reassured. 

Now he was in Goveh's office and got the diamonds an a neat pouch. He thanked the man and together with Thor they left the building. Outside Thor stowed the pouch away in his armor, grabbed Tony around the waist and in an instant they were on their way back to Egypt. Both didn't care about the people yelling and pointing with their fingers at the two men flying away with a giant hammer.

 

 

Sif was still in front of that old factory when she saw the black stretch limousine arrive. The car stopped but no one got out. She leaned back against the wall of the building and watched the car. 

It didn't take too long till she heard and felt Thor arrive. She smiled a bit because she didn't wanted to swap places with Tony. The one time she flew with Thor was enough for her liking. 

“Lady Sif,” Thor greeted with a smile and she saw Tony following him. He was pale and seemed a bit shredded. Yes, it wasn't nice to fly with Thor.

“Did they come out?” he asked, concerned, but Sif shook her head. 

“No. Your rival just arrived. The only one who's not here is the Malcolm.” 

And it was as if he had waited for this sentence because this moment the door to the factory opened and he came out, brightly grinning, his cane in his hand and a still tied and gagged winged Clint behind him. 

“Clint,” she could hear Tony gasp but he waited for them to arrive. The door of the stretch limousine got opened and the other man, Giovanni Poletto, came over to them.

“So, you are back. Do you have the sum I want?” the Malcolm asked Tony straightforward while his prisoner knelt down behind him.

“Yes, I have it.” Tony said and Thor handed him a pouch. Tony gave it to the Malcolm and Poletto stepped up.

“I also have more money. I have here 8 millions and...” 

“Mr. Poletto, I've told you, the new price is 10 millions,” the Malcolm said and lifted his brow.

“But he's mine! I've ordered him! I want to have him! _We_ made the deal, you can't just give him to someone else!” Poletto spat and the Malcolm nodded. 

“Well, yes, I can.” He grinned but when Poletto wanted to step up to him he just raised his hand and the man stopped dead in his tracks. Carefully the Malcolm opened the pouch, let a few of the diamonds roll onto his hand and then he nodded.

“Well, do you need the collar?” he asked when he had stowed the pouch away in his strange coat.

“No, I just want to have Clint.” Tony said and the Malcolm grinned. 

“It was a pleasure to do business with you.” He gestured at the tied man behind him and he could move again. Sif could see him rise and stumble over to Tony. 

This moment another one – or three – arrived. It was the green Monster and he had two people on his arms, the Captain and the Black Widow. 

The Captain immediately threw his shield against the magician but the Malcolm threw it away with his cane. Hulk jumped up to attack him but a fiery spear hit him in his chest and he stumbled back. Thor already called his lightnings and she had drawn her sword to attack him but the Malcolm shook his head, moved his cane and disappeared. 

“Fuck!” Tony yelled when he saw him vanish but his boyfriend held him back. 

Thor put Mjölnir down and came over to her. 

“Thank you for your help, Lady Sif.” 

“I couldn't do too much. I'm sorry. I've tried to get into the building but his magic had protected it. I'm really sorry.” Thor patted her shoulder and she looked at Tony, wrapping his arms around Clint and holding him, kissing him. 

“Where's the other man? Poletto?” Sif asked but apparently he fled during the short fight. 

“We'll find him.” Thor nodded.

“I'm sure. Thor, tell your friend that I'm glad that he has his lover back. But I need to go back to Asgard.”

“I will tell him.” She hugged the warrior for a short moment before she called Heimdall and with a last glance at the friends Heimdall fetched her away.


	11. Chapter 11

Pepper was great, Tony thought. Pepper was the greatest. She had sent cars, huge cars, SUVs with enough space for Clint's wings, despite not knowing about them, to their location. 

At first Tony thought about following the Malcolm but for him they need a special plan. Then there was Poletto but he fled as soon as he saw Cap, Widow and Hulk arrive. 

But really, all of them were completely irrelevant, he had Clint back and he couldn't bring himself to let him out of his arms. He held him so close and he kissed him and he saw a tear in Clint's eyes. 

“Tony,” he murmured. “You've saved me.” He seemed surprised but didn't let Tony go as well.

“Of course! I... There's something I wanted to say for a long time now...” He moved a bit back to look at the younger man. He licked his lips but he didn't stop himself, “I love you, Clint. I've wanted to say this for so long but... but I always thought you... I wasn't...” 

“Tony,” Clint nearly sobbed and pulled the genius even tighter to himself, ignoring the pain from the fucking wings. He never would let him go. Never. 

“I can understand when you...” Tony still babbled but Clint took his face in both hands and shushed him with another kiss. 

“I also love you.” Tony once again wrapped his arms around him and held him as close as possible. No one of them saw that Sif disappeared in a bright light.

“Tony,” Steve interrupted them when he saw the cars arrive and when one of the drivers got out and asked for Tony Stark he nearly had to laugh. He had always known that Pepper was a mother hen. 

“Hey, concentration!” Natasha snarled when she realized that the man stared at Hulk and the winged, half naked Clint. 

To get the enormous wingspan into the SUV they had to remove one of the seats but then it wasn't a problem. Only, that they still hurt like a motherfucker when something touched them. That's why the others climbed into the other SUV and let Clint and Tony drive in this alone. 

“Why are they so sensitive?” Tony asked. He was completely confused. 

“I don't know. It's the first time for me as well to grow wings,” Clint snorted. But Tony grinned. There it was, the sarcasm he loved. “Do you think they can be removed?” He looked at Tony now with a serious expression. 

“I'm pretty sure there's a possibility. And if they can't do it here we still may ask Thor if Asgardian healers can do something.” 

“I want them gone. They... they are ugly. They hurt. They...” he didn't finish his sentence but Tony understood. They are the visible reminder of this ordeal he had to go through.

At Cairo International Airport Tony could see the Stark Industries private plane waiting and the two SUVs took one of the side entries to get to it. Happy was there and when he saw the condition Clint was in he ran into the plane and came back with a thin sheet. 

Clint groaned when they covered the wings. But he didn't want anyone else to see these ugly things. Tony was close behind him and as soon as all of them were in the plane it got clearance for takeoff and they started. 

Thor, Cap, Widow and Bruce sat together with Happy in the front but Tony and Clint went to the back where the plane had a room only for Tony. There was a couch and he could convert it into a bed when necessary and that was what Tony did. With the wings Clint couldn't sit comfortable because of their sensitivity and so he could lie down on his stomach. Tony sat down in one corner and Clint had his arms wrapped around his waist, his head on Tony's stomach and the wings fluttering slightly in the air. Clint was wrong. They weren't ugly, they were beautiful. Big and white, like the wings of a swan and he looked stunning with them, like an angel. He wouldn't tell him. If Clint wanted them gone, they would go. Period. 

“It's my fault, Clint.” He explained when Clint had tried to figure out why the Malcolm had chosen him. “I bought Poletto's company and... and he didn't take it too well. He was going to go bankrupt, I wanted to save the company but he didn't believe me and vanished. He always blamed me to have stolen his company. And now he wanted to have his revenge and you had to take the rap.” 

“Not your fault. You didn't say to him that he should do it. It's Poletto's fault. It's Malcom's fault, not yours.” 

“Clint, I...” 

“No. It's the same with Loki. You always said it was his fault, not mine.”

“It _was_ his fault and not yours.” 

“See?” Clint looked up and his expression was so serious. “It wasn't your fault. You've tried to help him, he didn't listen. It's his fault. Only his.” 

“I love you, you know that?” Tony smiled and leaned down to kiss Clint again.

“You've mentioned it, I think.” He melted into the kiss. 

“You seem tired,” Tony mentioned when he looked at the man on his lap and saw him yawn. 

“He forced me down into some sort of sleep. Wasn't really relaxing.” Clint yawned again.

“Then sleep now. I'm here to keep watch.” 

“Okay,” Clint mumbled and when he had turned a bit Tony could hear a quiet, “Love you, Tony.” 

With a smile on his face he stroked the younger man's head. He had him back. He knew everything was going to be alright now. 

He was wrong.

 

 

_Giovanni Poletto stood at the window at Cairo International Airport and looked out at the tarmac. He saw the SI plane. Of course Tony Stark had his own private plane. He could afford it. He didn't have his company stolen. He waited for his flight back to USA when he saw two SUVs arrive at the SI plane and Stark and his companions went into it. There he was, his angel, _his_ angel, covered with a sheet while they led him into the plane. _

_The next thing Stark had stolen. First his company, now his angel. His property. He glared out at the plane. Once again his hand went into the pocket of his jacket and felt for the collar. Everything he had left from his angel was the collar he never wore. He pressed his lips together to a thin line and saw the plane roll onto the runway. Of course, when Tony Stark came they let him fly first. He gritted his teeth and fiddled once more with the collar. And then it hit him. The collar! Of course!_

With this collar the ownership and the control over him devolves upon you. He has to follow each and every command you give him, he can't run away from you, he can't harm you. _That was, what the Malcolm had said. And he still had the collar. He just... he just needed to get it around his neck and then he would be his. Finally his!_

_He grinned when he heard the call for his flight. He had a plan!_


	12. Chapter 12

There were a few things about his wings Clint learned really fast. First was, given the fact that they were mere decoration, they could move. He could control them, but they definitely gave away his emotional state. When he was angry they spread threateningly, when he was scared they folded like a cocoon around him, when he was tired, they hung low... and his body already used them instinctively despite the pain it caused. 

Then, they were huge. He had a wingspan of nearly 20 ft. and he barely couldn't move without knocking something over and that hurt. They still hurt.

And the third was, people stared at them in awe. When they had brought him back and into SHIELD medical a week ago all the doctors, nurses and patients stopped whatever they had done and stared, whispered, pointed. Only Natasha's presence stopped them from doing something rash. 

Dr. Carson Wielder and Dr. Eva Morris had a field day when they were allowed to examine them and Clint had to repress the urge to strangle them when they got too enthusiastic. Luckily Tony was there with him, he managed to calm him down whenever he wanted to just leave. They made all tests from simple blood tests to x-ray but when Dr. Wielder plucked out one of the feathers, and that was really painful, it was Tony who nearly beat him to a pulp.

When Clint asked about the sensitivity both doctors didn't have an idea. And in their defense, it was probably their first time they had to deal with artificial grown wings. But they gave Clint a bottle of pills, painkillers. Dr. Morris said that they were something new and it's possible that they could have some side effects, they were still testing them but they were the best non-addictive painkillers they had. To hear this didn't calm Tony down.

“Can you remove them?” Clint asked and Wielder shared glances with Morris. Both shrugged. 

“We need to analyze the results first but... we're not sure. They are grown out of your scapulae but...” Morris pointed at the negatoscope on his x-ray pictures. “... Wait a minute,” she went to one of the file cabinets and searched for another x-ray picture and attached it beside Clint's actual picture. “See, Agent Barton. This is a picture from your scapulae from two years ago where you've had the half broken clavicle.” She pointed at a dark spot and Clint nodded. “These are the scapulae,” Morris then pointed at the picture. “And now, look at this. These are your scapulae now. They are completely... different.” Clint wasn't a doctor but even he could see what she meant. They were deformed and bones came out of them. 

“Oh god, this is... Please, I want them gone. Can you... I don't know... talk to experts... I... I just want them gone.” 

Wielder nodded. “We'll find a solution, Agent.” 

 

 

The first few days they stayed with the others in New York in the tower. Fury wanted to keep Clint in SHIELD medical but when all the Avengers protested in strongest terms he agreed to let him go to the tower. But Dr. Morris came over each day to check on him.

Tony insisted that he should move up to the penthouse. He said, there was more space for the wings and after a few more or less painful encounters with different pieces of furniture he agreed. Tony had bought chairs without backrest for him and two days ago he got a [recamier](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p07RlRHOX4I/Tk3TponLD0I/AAAAAAAAECw/oPT5zi4C1G8/s1600/DSCN2208.jpg), so he could lounge comfortable while watching TV and that was what he did most of the time now. He couldn't shoot his bow with the goddamn wings. He didn't dare to go down to the others because he constantly knocked things over. And he also didn't go out onto the deck anymore since a helicopter flew over them too close and they had seen him with his wings. Afterwards there were quite a few helicopters from different news stations and Clint was pretty sure they wanted to take a picture. So he stayed inside but that was awful as well. He lay on the recamier most of the day, zapped through the channels and got even more frustrated. 

At least they had found a solution to the clothes-problem. Tony had called his tailor and – after signing a pile of paperwork with all kinds of confidentially agreements – he had made a few shirts for Clint. They had buttons on the backside and he could get them on without touching the wings. So he didn't have to walk around half naked all the time. Not that Tony had complained, he loved seeing Clint half naked all the time. 

And Doc Morris was right. The painkillers lessened the sensitivity but they _had_ side effects. Most of the time Clint felt like all his senses were dulled by cotton candy. He sometimes startled when Tony or one of the other Avengers came into his view abruptly, he had turned the TV's volume on maximum and he said, all the food tastes like sawdust. And then there were the mood swings. One moment he yelled at Dr. Morris because she's an insensitive bitch with no proper bedside manners and the next moment he lay on the bed, huddled under a blanket with only the wings peeking out, and cried because he's an insensitive ass who always yells at everyone. Some moments he shoved everyone angrily away, said he needed no one and the next moment he craved for Tony or Natasha to just hold him as tight as possible. 

But there was one fact that astounded the rest of the team more than everything. Whatever Clint did, whatever tantrum he threw, Tony never, not once, lost his patience with him. If Clint wanted him away, he stayed away, if Clint wanted him close, he was there, if he needed someone to yell at, Tony was there, if he needed someone to comfort him, Tony held him.

“What have I done to deserve you?” Clint asked him one evening when he just had vented his frustration and destroyed Tony's crystal bottles with very old and very exclusive whiskeys and instead of yelling at him Tony had only wrapped him in his arms and kissed his temple. Tony had _wrestled_ him to the bedroom where both lay on the huge bed and faced each other.

“I love you, Clint.” He just said and stroked his hair back. 

“I hate this. I really hate this. I... I can't do anything. I'm useless, Tony. I'm just a liability.” 

“No, you're not. The docs said they'll find a way to get rid of the wings and then you can do whatever you want again.” 

“I hate it to be locked in here, Tony. I'm going stir-crazy. It's...” he stopped himself and snorted, “I'm an angel in a gilded cage.” 

“I have an idea. We fly to Malibu. My house there is on a rock, it's an hour's drive away from the rest of the civilization and if we don't tell anyone that we're there you can go out as much as you want and no one bothers you. The area is fenced an no one can come in. There's a private beach and... what do you think?” Tony smiled at the younger man.

“I... you would fly with me to Malibu? After all what happened?” 

“Of course. I would fly everywhere with you. I have a few more houses around the world. Do you prefer a medieval castle? I have one in Scotland. Or...”

“I would love to fly with you to Malibu, Tony,” Clint smiled now as well and Tony once again felt his heart jump like always when he saw that smile. 

“Jarvis, we need the jet as fast as possible,” Tony said before he laid his hand on Clint's cheek and caressed his soft skin. 

“Certainly, sir,” the AI said and Clint leaned over and kissed Tony, soft at first but when he responded he got more passionate, licked into his mouth and sucked at his lips, explored and touched and moaned. 

“I love you, Tony.” 

 

 

_“What do you mean, they are not in the city anymore?” Poletto snarled at the man he had hired to get his angel back._

_“Sir, Stark and... and the other man... they left the tower this morning and drove to the airport. I couldn't find out their destination. Yet.” The man stared down at his smaller employer and folded his arms in front of his chest._

_“How do you want to find out where they flew to?” Poletto tapped with his foot at the floor and bit his lip._

_“I know people. And those people know people. We'll find him.”_

_“I hope you're right. You're expensive enough.”_

_“It's just a matter of time. But I guarantee that we'll find them. You know our references. We've always fulfilled our contract.” The man lifted his brow._

_“But this time you have to go against the Avengers,” Poletto spat. “They are good!” He nearly choked on this words._

_“What would life be without challenges?” the man grinned and left Poletto's office. He needed to call a few people._


	13. Chapter 13

Tony was right, it was the right decision to fly to Malibu. Clint loved it. They were far away from the city, no one could come in and when he was down at the private beach he could sit in a part where no one could look into it, not even from the ocean. He had seen a boat a few times but he was sure that the rocks covered him. No one had seen him.

He wasn't sure if things got better because of the painkillers or if it was because he got accustomed to them but the wings didn't hurt as much as they had when he got them. Nevertheless, he wanted them gone. He had tried to shoot an arrow with them. It didn't work. He couldn't draw properly and he managed to hit the target but it was only dumb luck. That was the last time he had touched his bow. His hands itched for it, he wanted it more than everything but he couldn't bring himself to try it again.

Tony was in his workshop. He said he had a few ideas and he needed to test something but Clint hadn't really listened. Most of the time he only understood half of the science stuff Tony told him. He sighed and looked out onto the ocean. It was beautiful and he wondered, what it would be like if the wings would really work. If he could fly with them. He would fly over the waves, touching them with his hands. And then he felt tears run over his face. 

Why? Why had it to be him? Why always him? Whom had he antagonized so much in his last life that he had to pay constantly in this one? Why couldn't all those assholes just leave him alone? He didn't expect much from life, he never had. Everything he always wanted was to do his job, to find someone to share his life with and to be happy to a certain degree. Why couldn't fate let him have at least a tiny bit of it? No, as soon as it starts to work well for him he gets wrenched. 

The moment they finally found a nice foster family who wanted to keep them Barney had decided to run away and Clint followed him. They lived on the streets for more than half a year till they finally got picked up by Carson's. Just as it started to work in the circus, as he got his own act, Barney decided to rob the circus together with Buck and he had to pay the price. They left him bleeding in a dirty back alley and it was mere luck that he was still alive. Just as he had made himself a name as mercenary he got betrayed, arrested and had to go to jail. Just as he was with SHIELD and they finally sent him on his first solo mission he got captured, tortured and raped for weeks. The moment it went well with Phil Loki had taken him and Phil got _killed_. The moment he had finally overcome his grieve he learned that Phil wasn't dead, he just pretended to be dead and had left him alone. And now, now that he had found Tony this asshole had turned him into a monster. Every time, every time life starts to be good something really bad happens. Angrily he wiped away the tears and stared at his hands. He should climb onto this rock where Tony's house sat and jump down. Then all this shit would be over. 

He looked at his watch and sighed. In twenty minutes the surgeons Tony had asked to come over will arrive and he had to go back to the house. Tony had called a lot of people and those surgeons are considered the best in the world. They are from Zurich, Switzerland, and Tony had sent the SI jet to fetch them. 

“Hey, babe. They're not here yet.” Tony greeted him with a cup of coffee in his hand. He placed the cup in Clint's hand and kissed him. 

“But Doc Morris is here already,” he pointed at the couch to see the woman wait for him. 

“Hey, doc,” Clint waved in her direction and she smiled at him. He didn't smile back.

“What's wrong?” Tony asked and furrowed his brows. 

“Nothing. Just...” he sighed and shut up.

“It's over soon. Believe me.” Tony murmured and kissed him again, his hand promisingly on Clint's hip. 

“I love you, Tony,” he placed the cup onto the counter behind Tony and wrapped his arms around the older man. His wings followed and Tony found himself in a cocoon made of feathers and Clint. 

“I love you, too.” Tony placed another lingering kiss on Clint's lip and just held him till he was calm to let him out of this cocoon again. 

 

 

They both didn't hear the doorbell, they both didn't see Dr. Morris leave the room to open the door where she expected Dr. Hurni and Dr. Cotte, they both didn't see the men entering the living room with Dr. Morris at gunpoint. They both realized only then that something was really wrong when Clint tensed up and slumped down to the floor, taser electrodes sticking in his back. 

“What...” Tony made a step in the guys direction but the man, a huge, freckle-faced redhead with a mean streak around his lips, pressed the gun harder at Doc Morris head.

“Nu uh, you don't move or this nice lady's brain will soil your floor, Mr. Stark.” 

“What do you want,” Tony stared at him and at the other three guys. Two of them had directed their guns on him, Tony, and he showed them his hands and that he was unarmed, the third held the taser and looked at Redhead. Maybe they just wanted money. 

“Come on, Collin, tie him up,” Redhead said to one of the guys with the gun when they all heard Clint groan. 

“No,” Tony said and made another step in their direction but on a nod from Redhead Taserguy pressed the button and Clint convulsed in pain again. 

“Okay, we do it your way. Just don't hurt him.” Tony stepped back and searched for a way out. He knew that Jarvis could send one of the Iron Man suits he had in his basement but that would antagonize them even more and they would hurt Clint. He couldn't risk that. He got hurt enough lately. 

Redhead nodded once again at the guy he had called Collin and the man came over to Tony. He took zip ties out of his jacket and pointed at one of the armchairs. 

“Sit down,” he said and Tony obeyed when he saw Taserguy move his finger again. Collin tied him to the armchair, his hands to the armrests, his feet to the legs before Redhead released Doc Morris. 

“Tie her up,” he snarled and Collin pointed at the other armchair. The doctor looked warily at Tony, at Clint and then at Redhead but finally she sat down and Collin tied her up like Tony. 

Redhead grinned and took his phone. “You can come in, sir,” he said after dialing a number and it took a few minutes but then Tony could see Giovanni Poletto stroll into his house. 

“No. No! NO!! Not you!” he yelled and pulled at his restraints but the man just smirked at him. 

“He's mine, Stark. You can't have everything what is mine.” Collin and Taserguy grabbed Clint's arms and forced him into a kneeling position and he slowly came around. 

“Clint, no! Don't! Don't do this! I give you what you want but don't do this!” Tony still tried to get free. 

“I want to see you suffer, Tony,” Poletto said and Tony saw the collar in his hands.

“No, please. Don't do this to him.”

Clint in the meantime was awake enough to realize what happened and he tried to fight. But the two men who held him didn't let him get a chance. Poletto stepped behind him and Clint could already sense him. He breathed hard and tried to free his arms.

Poletto had the collar in his hand and locked his eyes with Tony. “Now you will know what it means if someone takes away what you love,” he grinned and fastened the collar around his neck. 

Clint, who had also looked at Tony, mouthed 'I love you' before he got stiff for a few seconds, his eyes clouded, and then lowered his head in obedience. He stopped struggling and knelt motionless at the floor while the two men released his arms. 

“NO!! NO! Clint, no! You bastard! You monster! I'm gonna kill you! I'll rip out your intestines and feed them to the dogs!” Tony screamed and pulled at his restraints violently. He ignored the blood already dripping down to the floor when Poletto laughed and placed his hand on Clint's shoulder.

“He's mine now,” he said and let his hand roam over his body possessively. 

“I'll find you, believe me, Poletto. And if it's the last thing I do but I'll find you and then you will rue the day that bitch you call your mother dropped you!” Tony spat but Poletto just grinned at him. 

“Come on, slave. Follow me,” he said and Clint rose graceful. 

“Clint! Clint! I love you! Clint!” Tony yelled when he saw the younger man follow his captor out of the house. 

It took only a few minutes and they could hear cars disappear.

“Jarvis! Do something!” Tony screamed but his AI didn't answer. Something was really wrong here. “Jarvis! Jarvis!” 

“Mr. Stark, please, calm down. You can't help him in this state right now.” 

“What? Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what this man wants to do to him?” Tony spat at Doc Morris and she blushed. He tried to get the ties open but these goddamn plastic strips are nearly indestructible. 

“Mr. Stark?” they heard a voice with a thick Swiss accent only a few minutes later and an older man with glasses entered the house, followed by a slightly younger man with beard. 

“You need to free us!” Tony snarled and the man with the beard came over to them. 

“What happened here?” the guy with the glasses asked and Tony still ignored his questions. 

“Do you have a phone? Call the police! Tell them someone got kidnapped. Dr. Morris will tell you everything,” Tony rambled before he ran to the stairs and to his suits. But without Jarvis he couldn't activate them fast enough. 

Then his eyes fell onto the cars and Tony jumped into the next one, the Ferrari Enzo Ferrari. He started the engine and drove down the only street that led away from his house. He floored the gas pedal in the hope that whatever car they had it was too slow and he could catch up with them. It was futile. When he reached the street into the city they were gone. He didn't even know in which direction and he hit the steering wheel a few times. 

He closed his eyes before he took the phone he had in his pocket and dialed a number.

“Yes,” the female voice answered and he swallowed hard.

“Natasha... I... I've lost him.”


	14. Chapter 14

On his way back to his house he stopped at the gate where two SHIELD-agents should be, command of Fury. But they weren't there. Tony looked around and found them behind a few bushes, both dead, their throats slit. 

“Fuck,” he cursed and went back to his car. When he was back at the house the doctors Morris, Hurni and Cotte stood there and waited for him, wide-eyed. In the lobby he saw that the guys had ripped out the control panel from where he could operate nearly everything in the house and they even had managed to _knock out_ Jarvis.

“Fuck!” he screamed again and hit the wall, ignoring the pain in his hand and only stopped when Dr. Morris held his arm. 

“Stop, Mr. Stark. You can't help him when you harm yourself right now.” 

“What do you know? I've failed him twice in only a few weeks...” He started to repair the control panel to get Jarvis back when it hit him. 

“Wait! You've seen their car!” he turned to Doc Morris.

“Oh yeah! Right! It.. It was a brown van with... with surfboards on the top.” 

“Why didn't you tell me earlier?” Tony snarled, grabbed her arm and dragged her down to his workshop, ignoring the shocked glances of the two Swiss. 

“You... you didn't ask and you drove away so fast...” she stumbled behind him and Tony turned and looked at her.

“I need your help.” He pointed with his finger at her and she nodded really fast.

“Okay.” 

“I can't get into the suit alone without Jarvis. You need to help me.” 

“Okay, whatever you need.” 

Ten minutes later Tony was in the air, with the suit-version of Jarvis online. He searched for the van and three hours and dozens of scared drivers of brown vans later they found the right one. Problem was, it was empty, except from a feather Clint had lost and his clothes. 

“Jarvis, contact SHIELD. We need this car.” 

“Yes, sir.” It was nice to hear the AI.

When he was back at his house he found two police cars, a bunch of SHIELD-agents and Natasha and Thor. 

“Tony, what happened?” Thor asked him immediately before Natasha could snap at him. 

“It was Poletto. He still had the collar and he... he and a few thugs came to kidnap Clint.” 

“We'll find him. And this time this bastard will bleed!” Natasha snarled. 

 

 

_When he opened his eyes he found himself in a cage. Once again. What's wrong with all those guys and their damn cages? He hurt. Of course he hurt._

_Poletto had forced his way into Tony's house with Doc Morris at gunpoint, they had tasered him and then he had collared him. He had screamed in desperation when they had forced him to follow them to the car but nothing came out of his mouth. His body obeyed Poletto like it had obeyed the Malcolm._

_They had made him sit in a car. He had to lean his back with the damn wings onto the backrest while Polette, who sat beside him, touched him. Clint wanted to beat him, wanted to rip him apart, wanted to go back to Tony but he sat quiet beside his tormentor and let him do whatever he wanted._

 _After a short time they abandoned the van and he had to sit in another van. And they had taken away his clothes. The red haired man had tied his wrists because Poletto ordered him to but it wasn't necessary. Clint couldn't hurt him._

_They drove to an old but fully renovated house and it had a garage where Collin drove into then._

_“So, we fulfilled our part of the deal, now we want the rest of our money.” Redhead said and Poletto nodded._

_“Get out of the car and wait for me,” he ordered and Clint obeyed. The men talked in the car and when Poletto left, the car drove away. Poletto closed the garage and led Clint into the house. He wanted to fight against the hold this man had over him, he wanted to scream, he wanted to beat him to a pulp but all he could do was to follow him._

_“You're mine now, slave. Mine! Don't you ever forget that!” Clint felt Poletto's hand on his back, shoving him into the living room and that fucking hurt._ Why does everyone have to touch the fucking wings and their joints? _Clint thought and glared over his shoulder at... at his_ owner _._

_But with a lecherous grin the man just shoved him to the table, bent him over and kicked his legs apart._

__No, no, please don't! _Clint thought and wanted to fight, wanted to struggle but only lay there and let the man touch him._ God, no! __

_He felt the man's hands on his hips and he nearly hyperventilated. And then there was pain. Always this pain. He couldn't repress the scream forced out of him and Poletto seemed to enjoy this even more than the fact that he had his cock in Clint's dry, unprepared channel. He felt blood trickle over his legs and he felt the soft hands on his hips and the searing pain and he couldn't do anything but scream because it hurt so much. Poletto grunted and moaned while he fucked into him brutally and when he finally came he shot his load in his abused body and Clint passed out when he removed his dick. It felt as if he would rip out all his intestines with it._

_And now? Now he woke in a cage. Again. He wasn't tied anymore but he felt the collar around his neck, he could take a look of his surroundings. The cage hung under the ceiling of the entrance hall and from the gallery one could watch him in it. He saw the floor about 20 ft. below the cage._

_Then it hit him. A few days ago he had said it to Tony and now? Now he was really an angel in a cage, not gilded cage but a cage nevertheless._


	15. Chapter 15

One week. Clint was gone for one week now and Tony was at the end of his rope. Again he hadn't slept in days despite everything Natasha and Steve tried. Only when Bruce had slipped something into his drink he was out for a few hours but he used every wake moment to search for Clint. 

He didn't have his pills and he was probably in pain and... and... he refused to imagine what Poletto did to him. Tony would kill him. Slow and painful and nothing, nothing one of the others could do or say would stop him. They could lock him up afterwards, do whatever they want but Poletto would die in excruciating pain for everything he had done to Clint. First the thing with the wings, then he had kidnapped him and now... he closed his eyes as unwanted images tried to find their way into his brain.

“We have one of them, Tony!” Steve came into his room where he just watched [the last picture of the two of them](http://i.dawn.com/2013/02/robert-downey-jr-670jpg.jpg). Clint looking at him after making a joke and both nearly burst with laughter. He looked so carefree in this picture and Tony knew that it would take a long time for him to laugh like this again. If ever.

“Tony?” Steve walked over to him and looked at the picture as well. “Come on, we have one of them. I'm sure you want to see the interrogation.” 

“Why, Steve? Why him? Why this?” Tony wiped away a tear and looked at the picture again. “I mean, it was me who bought Poletto's company. Why didn't he hurt me?” 

“Tony, it wasn't...” 

“Don't tell me it wasn't my fault. Because it was. Did you know that I wanted to help him? Poletto? I mean, his company was leading in building a few of the components I need for my ARC reactors but his problem was, he couldn't sell too much of them because they were too advanced for most of the regular energy production companies. They couldn't adapt fast enough. I've bought the company to preserve it. He thought I just wanted to ruin him and his families business.” Tony wiped away another tear. “I should've waited till the company went bankrupt and then buy just the patents.” 

“Tony, you couldn't know this. You...”

“He said he would take revenge. I should've taken him serious.”

“Tony, come on. Stop now.”

“No. I can't. If I hadn't suggested to fly to Malibu he couldn't have kidnapped him.”

“You've had Shield-agents to guard you. Even Fury didn't consider the possibility that he comes with a bunch of killers.”

“I should've.” Tony mumbled and stroked with his finger over Clint's face in the picture. “I should've, Steve,” he repeated and looked at him really miserable right now.

“Come on. Come with me. Natasha is interrogating this guy and then we're going to get Clint.” Steve said. He was a firm believer in his girlfriends skills. 

 

 

The guy was tied to a chair, his hands at it's backrest and his feet to the legs of the chair. They had waited till Tony was there as well. Natasha nodded at him and then she entered the room.

“So, it starts,” the guy, Collin, Tony remembered, said.

Natasha took the other chair and sat down, crossed her legs and placed both her hands on her knee. She didn't say a word, just looked at Collin. Steve, Tony, Bruce, Thor and Coulson stood behind the one way mirror and watched them.

The guy stayed quiet but after a while under Natasha's glance he started to shift on his chair. The guards had used the 'Black Widow herself will question him' trick to make him nervous.

“Don't you... don't you say something?” he asked and Natasha moved her head a bit. 

“This is an interrogation, right? I mean, shouldn't you ask me questions?” He licked over his lips and looked at the mirror and at the door. 

“I mean... I don't know anything. At all.” Natasha uncrossed her legs and folded them vice versa. Once again she placed her hands on the knee and looked at him.

“It's... it's about the... the freak... you know... with the wings, right?” The man got even more nervous and Tony could understand him. He knew Natasha and she said that she liked him – at least sometimes – but he remembered the shovel talk he had gotten and the Russian could be scary as hell. To be at the receiving end of her glare? No. He wouldn't wanted to change with Collin right now, a man she was furious at. 

“I... I was only the driver. They paid me and that was that. I didn't do anything,” he stammered and Tony frowned. 

“He tied me and Doc Morris and he held Clint so Poletto could collar him,” Tony said and he knew that Natasha heard him, she had her comm unit in her ear. She lifted her brow and Collin paled even more.

“I mean... it was F-Franks plan and... and Marc had tasered the fr... the guy with the wings.” Natasha leaned back, folded her arms in front of her chest and looked concentrated on her fingernails, her brows lifted and her lips pursed. “If... if I tell you where to we brought him... would you let me go?” 

Tony could see a tiny smirk on Natasha's lips when the guy finally spilled out an address in Los Angeles. She rose, went to the tied man and they all saw him flinch violently when she only patted his shoulders. “Thank you for your cooperation.” 

 

 

_It took him only half a day to figure out why his cage was in the entrance hall. Poletto's office was on the upper floor and when he didn't close his door he could take a look at him in his cage._

_He hated this man wholeheartedly. Since he was here he had to service this bastard twice a day while he worked and he loved it when Clint was under his desk. He didn't care that he had to fold his wings in a really painful way to get under the desk. And then he always praised him how pretty he looked with his, Poletto's, cock in his mouth. Clint wanted to throw up but his body obeyed Poletto's orders and he hated himself for this fact. In the evenings the man let him out of the cage and he had to eat with him in his dining room, kneeling at the floor beside his feet and getting fed from his hand. And he didn't force him through the collar. It's either he takes the food from him or he didn't get anything. Sometimes he had a guest here, his lawyer Mr. Sampson and Clint had to service him as well._

_He had to sleep in his bed with him and Poletto took him every night. Clint was sore and he knew that he was teared but the man didn't care, every night he had to lie down on his back, the wings spread out under him, and spread his legs, he had to call Poletto 'my love' while he raped him and afterwards he had to stay in the bed with him. And the older man loved to lie on Clint's soft wings and play with the feathers. That this was painful as hell didn't interest him in the slightest._

_He spent his days in the cage. At first he paced, always looking out for Tony but then, after a few days, he only sat there, his knees drawn to his body and the wings folded around him so he didn't have to see Poletto's lecherous glances. When he felt unwatched he sometimes let the tears roll over his face. He missed Tony, missed him really badly._

_“Please, Tony, please find me.”_


	16. Chapter 16

The whole _thing_ took only five minutes. They landed the quinjet in his driveway. Thor _knocked_ at the door and then Poletto had to deal with five really, really angry Avengers. When he realized that they found him he opened the cage where Clint was locked in and ordered him to defend him. And Clint obeyed. 

He was good but he was alone against his team-mates, he was in pain and he was injured from the constant rapes. He didn't have a real chance and only a few seconds later Steve and Thor held him in their grip. He stopped struggling immediately. 

Natasha ran up the stairs and followed Poletto who tried to flee. It was futile. She dragged the violently struggling man down into the hall where the rest of the Avengers waited. Tony was out of his suit and he talked to Clint.

“Want to get him out into the quinjet?” Bruce asked and together the two dragged Poletto out of his house. 

“He's mine! Mine! He can't have him! I won't allow it!” Poletto snarled and spat and Natasha finally knocked him out. 

“I'll stay with him. You can go back if you want.” Bruce nodded and Natasha smiled thankfully. But just as he entered the house she heard a agonizing scream and Clint lay unconscious at the floor.

“What have you done?” she asked and the three men seemed were at a loss. 

“I... I just removed the collar...” Tony said and stared the leather strap in his hand. 

 

 

_Another day in this goddamn cage. Once again he sat down and folded the wings around himself and it still hurt like hell. Since he was off of the painkillers he was always in pain. But Poletto didn't realize it. He just saw the 'beautiful angel' he owned. Clint closed his eyes and placed his head on his knees._

_But when he heard a familiar sound, he had to restrain himself to not jump up immediately. Poletto had heard it and he came out of his office to look out of the window but Thor had already kicked in the door. Poletto squeaked and opened the cage._

_“Defend me!” he screamed when Clint stepped out of it. He didn't want to do this but his body didn't obey him. Again. Buck ass nude he went down the stairs and attacked Thor. He really knew that his chances were that of a snowballs in hell but his_ master _had ordered him and he could only obey him._

_Natasha ran up the stairs while he fought against Steve and Thor and after landing a few punches Steve managed to grab him and together with Thor they held him. There wasn't another order from his master and he stopped fighting, let them hold him._

_Tony was there and he stepped out of his suit while Natasha and Bruce dragged Poletto out to the quinjet._

_“I have you, Clint,” he murmured and placed his hands on his cheeks and Clint wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around him and kiss him. But he couldn't._

_“Let's get you out of this thing,” Tony said and touched the collar. And that send a wave of more pain through Clint's body._

__No, don't... don't touch it, Tony, please stop touching it! _he thought but he couldn't say anything. The collar prevented it. Tony fumbled with the strap and it hurt, hurt, hurt._ Stop! Please, stop! _He silently begged._

_And then he opened it. Searing pain ripped through his body and he screamed before he finally – thankfully – lost consciousness._

 

 

“What have you done!” Natasha yelled again and hunkered down beside Clint and felt for a pulse.

“Natasha... I... really, I just opened the collar and then he screamed.” Tony was shocked, he was pale like a sheet and Steve grabbed him before he slumped down as well. “I... I just opened the collar...” he stammered again and stared at the strap. 

Bruce hurried in and saw Clint lying at the floor. 

“He's alive,” Natasha said and they turned him around. His eyes were closed and when Bruce opened them they saw a pupillary reflex. 

“Get him into the jet,” Bruce ordered and Thor grabbed the unconscious archer carefully and carried him into the jet. 

“There's a SHIELD base not far away. Let's get him there.” 

“What have I done?” Tony was pretty out of it. “Steve, what have I done?” 

“We get him to a doctor.” Steve murmured and shoved Tony into the quinjet where he sat down beside Clint and took his hand. Natasha already had her phone in her hand and called the base and they prepared everything for their arrival. 

 

 

A medical team awaited them and they stopped for a few seconds when they saw the wings. But then they hurried with Clint on a stretcher to the trauma room and the Avengers followed them. Tony, the collar still in his hand, fell behind and only when Steve nodded at him reassuringly he entered the waiting room. Only a few minutes later they heard Dr. Morris arrive and saw her running into the trauma room. 

“What have I done?” he murmured again and again. But only when Natasha finally sat down beside him and placed an arm around his shoulders he looked up.

“Sorry for yelling at you. I'd done the same, you know?” 

“Mr. Stark?” he heard Dr. Morris voice and looked up.

“How is he?” Tony nearly jumped up and went over to her. But she only shook her head. 

“It's... he's stable but... but he's in a coma. We don't know why because... there's no reason for it. At least, no physical reason. He should be awake and honestly, we have no clue why he isn't.” She sighed.

“What have I done?” Tony repeated again and staggered back. Natasha grabbed him and held him.

“Can we see him?” she asked and Dr. Morris nodded. 

“Yes, come with me.” She turned and Natasha followed her together with Tony. 

“No. Natasha, I... I can't. It's my fault. I..” 

“No, Tony. It's not your fault. It's Poletto's fault and it's the Malcolm's fault and I promise they will pay for it but for now we go in and look after Clint. Okay?” she said and Tony nodded mechanically.

“Oh my god,” slipped out of him the moment they entered the room. Clint lay on a bed, covered to his waist with a blanket. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be a bit pale but otherwise he looked as if he just slept. The doctors had attached a lot of monitoring devices and Tony saw cables and tubes and monitors and... and stuff. 

“We do everything we can, Mr. Stark but for now...” Dr. Morris didn't finish this sentence. “Talk to him. It... it can't hurt.” 

“Thanks, doc.” Natasha nodded at the woman and she left the two with the unconscious man. 

“Hey, Clint. It's me, Tony.” He saw a chair, pulled it up to the bed and sat down beside it. Carefully he took Clint's hand. “Natasha is here with me. We'll stay here a while with you.”


	17. Chapter 17

Two days later Giovanni Poletto disappeared. There was a sudden crash of the surveillance system and when it was back online there were quite a few unconscious agents on the floor and the cell where Poletto was locked in was empty. No one had seen anything. It was as if earth had swallowed him. 

When Fury told the Avengers – back in New York in the meantime – they just looked at him and Rogers blushed slightly. He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose and left the tower. He didn't want to know. He really didn't want to know. He only hoped that they would find out why Barton fell into a coma and how to get him out of it. 

 

 

Tony had redesigned the guest room in his penthouse. There was a comfortable bed and around it all the machines and monitoring systems required. He had hired a nurse who was there twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. At first she was a bit freaked out because of the wings but Tony explained her what she needed to know. 

He sat beside the bed every spare minute, held Clint's hand, talked to him, read him his favorite books. 

“Mr. Stark?” Nurse Alice said quietly, a hand on his shoulder. “I need to clean him and get him ready for the night. Do you want to take a break in the meantime? You need to eat. And maybe you want to take a nap, it's late.” 

He looked up at her and after a few moments of deliberation he nodded and left the room. 

“Hello, Clint. I'm going to refresh you now, what do you think?” He heard her talk to the unconscious man. Tony left the room and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. His phone blinked and saw quite a few missed calls. Pepper, Pepper, Pepper, Rhodey, Pepper, Pepper, Steve, Rhodey, Pepper, Natasha. He stopped to skim through the list and called her back. 

“Tony, he finally talked.” She said and he quit the call without a word. 

“Jarvis, tell Alice I have to go out, she's in charge of Clint.” 

“Yes, sir,” the AI confirmed and Tony hurried to the deck to get into his suit. 

Only a few minutes later he was in the old, closed SI factory where they had built weapons in. He went down into the basement and found Natasha sitting on a chair in the corridor, cleaning her gun and waiting for him. 

“He talked?” Tony asked and the Russian nodded. 

“Two weeks. I'm really impressed. But I guess only his hatred for you let him hold out for so long.” Natasha rose and opened the door. Tony could smell him long before he saw Poletto. Blood, urine, burned flesh and other things he didn't want to think about. 

“What have you done to Clint?” Tony didn't waste time or words with small talk. He jumped straight to the point.

“It's the collar,” Poletto's words bubbled bloody out of his mouth. “Only the person who closed it can open it.” 

“Can you redo what happened to him?” 

“No.” 

“Who can?” 

“No one!” Poletto laughed. He actually laughed and Tony looked at Natasha.

“Do we need to start again?” she asked and the man still didn't stop laughing.

“No one can redo it. He's lost! He's forever lost!” Tony closed his eyes and then planted his fist in Poletto's face. Natasha grabbed his arm and dragged him away, out of earshot. 

“It's either he really doesn't know anything or he's stronger than I thought but given that he cried for his mom an hour ago I assume it's the former.” 

“What...” Tony stopped and swallowed. “What can we do? He can't be lost, Natasha. He... he can't...” 

“I've thought about it. And.. you probably won't like it... but maybe _he_ knows what to do?” 

“He? I don't...” Tony looked at her with a puzzled expression before he realized whom she meant with _he_.

“No! No way I'm begging the Malcolm for help! Natasha, there...” 

“I don't have another idea. He made the collar, Tony. He gave it to him.” She gestured with her head in Poletto's direction. Tony closed his eyes and finally nodded. 

“Can... can you get out of him what we have to do to get contact to the Malcolm?” Natasha raised one brow and Tony smiled a little bit. “Of course you can. What kind of stupid question is this?” 

 

 

Natasha found Tony in Clint's room, sitting beside him and reading 'Mort', his favorite book from the Discworld series. 

“Clint, I'll take a short break. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?” he said, caressed his cheek and rose when he saw her in the doorway. 

“What did he say?” Tony asked as soon as both were in the living room. Natasha handed him a piece of paper and Tony took it without complaining. But as soon as he read it his brows hit his hairline.

“You kidding!” he blurted out but Natasha shook her head. 

“No, I'm afraid not. That's what it takes.” Tony once again looked at the paper. 

“But where do we get all this stuff? I mean, the tears of a newborn child, the root of a devil's apple which bathed in the full moon...” 

“We can talk to Thor and Sif or check if Bruce found something in this old book he has.” She suggested. 

“I... I don't know. Where would we get all that stuff anyway?” Tony looked at her and seemed desperate.

“El Mercado de las Brujas.” 

“What? What's that?” 

“The witches' market in Cerro Cumbre, Bolivia.” Natasha said and Tony looked up at her and the wrinkle between his eyes deepened. 

“I've heard of it. But it's just a tourist attraction, isn't it?”

“Not if you know where to search. That's where _he_ got his stuff.” 

“You think this is... I don't know... real?” He held the paper up and cocked his head.

“We can try it. If it doesn't work we can at least say we've tried it.” Natasha seemed as desperate as Tony. 

He looked back at the bed, looked at his motionless lover and finally nodded. “Okay. But tomorrow the doctores Hurni and Cotte will come again. I've asked them to take a look at his wings. He wants them gone as soon as possible.” 

“I'm going to talk to Fury. We can start as soon as they are gone.” 

“Okay. Would you...” He looked at her and Natasha nodded.

“Yes, I'll talk to Thor.” She patted his shoulder. “Tony, we'll get him back.” 

“I hope you're right.”


	18. Chapter 18

Steve stayed in the quinjet, outside of Cerro Cumbre. He was there to support them if necessary and listened over the comms. Only Natasha and Bruce went into the small town. Bruce had lived in places like this and Natasha was a spy. They knew how to move there without attracting attention, even if there were quite a few tourists at the witches' market. Poletto had given him a name, Yolanda Mamani, and now they were searching for her. Bruce shuddered when he saw all the strange things they sold here. He knew, most of it was just humbug but not long ago he would have had said the same about magic. Then he met Loki, then he saw what the Malcolm had done.

After searching and asking finally someone told them where they could find Mamani and the two went to her house. They knocked and a middle-aged woman with a hat and the typical Bolivian clothing opened and let them in. After a few minutes of small talk Natasha took the paper out of the pocket of her jacket and handed it to Mrs. Mamani.

“A friend of us said you have these things.” The woman took the paper and looked at it.

“You want to call a very dangerous man,” she said and raised her brows.

“We know. And we wouldn't do it if it weren't necessary. Another friend of us is in severe danger and the man we want to call is the only one able to help him. At least, that's what we hope.” 

The woman looked at them for a long time and then she nodded. With a sigh she rose and went to the door and it took some time before she came back with a box in her hand. 

“These are the things you need. And...” she bit her lip for a second. “Your friend, the one who is in danger, give him this.” She held a small, black root in her hand. “When the man you want to call comes to him, your friend needs to put this under his tongue.” 

“What is that?” Bruce looked at the root sceptically.

“It is... leucanthemum root.” Of course Bruce had heard the tiny break and furrowed his brows. “It will help to protect him. It is... it will help. It will protect his soul.” 

Bruce looked at Natasha but the Russian only shrugged. If it didn't help it couldn't hurt. The woman nodded again and explained all the contents in the box. Bruce looked over the list if they had everything and when he looked at Natasha she paid her. 

“Let's hope this will work,” Bruce mumbled when they were on the way back to the quinjet.

 

 

“This is bullshit!” Tony muttered again and glared at Natasha who just cut the devil's apple root in tiny bits. 

“You've already said that but after calling every expert in the world and no one could tell you why Clint is in this coma we agreed to do this, remember?” 

“Yes, yes... but this is... it's alchemy... it's charlatanry.” Tony started to pace again and this time Steve rose, grabbed him at his shoulders and led him to the couch. 

“Sit! And let's try it!” 

Tony looked at Bruce and Jane, other scientists but they were as clueless as he was. Only Sif and Thor seemed to believe that it could help. As soon as Thor had told her what they intended to do Sif appeared. She and Thor were here in case the Malcolm would try anything. 

“Okay. Are you ready?” Natasha asked when all of the ingredients were in the marble bowl. 

“Wait,” Bruce said and looked at Tony. “The... the leucanthemum root?” 

“Right.” Tony took the black root and went to Clint's room. 

“Hey babe, can you... can you hold that under your tongue for a few minutes?” he said an opened his mouth. Carefully he put the root in and closed his mouth. 

“Okay, do it.” He nodded at Natasha when he was back and the Russian set fire to the mixture. It started to smoke immediately and Tony read aloud what Poletto had told them while Natasha took the seat beside Steve and grabbed his hand. 

“Dhakrâ'gala Mal'colmienses nea taladur aiâ!” The mixture stopped smoking. And nothing happened. 

“I've told you this is only a waste of time.” Tony snarled and wanted to leave the room when the elevator started to move downwards. All of them looked at each other and then at the elevator when it came back. They heard the _Ding!_ and then steps. 

“Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen,” the man said. The Malcolm. He was dressed like last time in a suit and a cape and had his cane with him. “What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?” he turned to Tony and cocked his head with a smile. Tony had to restrain himself to not go over and punch him in his face.

“We need your help.” Tony said and gestured for the Malcolm to follow him. The man pursed his lips but entered the room after Tony. He raised his brow when he saw Clint lying in the bed, unconscious and unresponsive. 

“What happened with him?” The Malcolm asked and Tony explained, that Poletto had kidnapped and collared Clint and that they had brought him back and removed the collar. 

“Arc'ra!” The Malcolm said and it sounded like a curse. “I'm sorry. I guess this was my mistake. I did not bargain for him to want this angel so desperately and I should have taken the collar back. May I?” He gestured at Clint and Tony nodded but he saw Thor and Sif appear behind them in the doorway. “No need to threaten me. I am a man of business like you and I want my customers to be satisfied with their purchase.”

“If you do something...” Tony started but then the Malcolm grinned broadly and moved his cane over Clint's head. 

“Taubralir gwnachal bha'dao!” The eyes of the cane glowed green and he touched Clint's head and then his chest with it. And Tony saw Clint's eyes flutter and the younger man groaned slightly. 

“It will take a few hours till he is fully awake. I once again apologize for my lapse and if there is...” 

“Yes, there is something you can do.” Tony interrupted him and folded his arms in front of his chest and the Malcolm bowed his head. 

“Well.”

“Remove the wings.” 

“You want me to remove the wings?” That caught him off his guard. “Do you know how difficult it was to...” 

“I don't care. He doesn't want them so _I_ don't want them. They have to go.” 

The Malcolm closed his eyes and then he nodded. “As you wish. But...” his grin appeared again. “I know, Mr. Stark, that you have the man, who stole your property, in your custody. I remove the wings and... I know that you don't want to have him as slave but as your lover. I can also remove the control spell I put in in him.” 

“But?” Tony raised his brow.

“But I want to have the other man. Poletto.” He heard Steve gasp audibly but Tony had already nodded. “Do with him whatever you want but give me my Clint back.” 

The Malcolm held out his hand and Tony looked at it for a long moment but then he shook it. 

“Fine. Can you turn him onto his stomach?” The Malcolm grinned and gestured at Clint and Thor helped Tony to move the younger man around. He reached into one of the pockets of his cape and drew a dagger out. They all gasped but The Malcolm only raised a brow, touched Clint's head with one finger. “Lu!” He said and Clint's eyes stopped to flutter. 

“What have you done!” Tony spat but The Malcolm cocked his head. 

“Do you really want me to cut off the wings when he is awake? It will be painful.” 

“No... I... you want to do it right now... with a dagger... and without... I don't know... any preparations?” Tony's eyes were wide with shock.

“It won't take long.” The Malcolm said and shrugged. Tony looked at Natasha, Natasha at Thor, Thor at Bruce, Bruce at Sif and Sif at Tony. 

“Fine. But...” 

“... if you hurt him we'll kill you.” Sif finished his sentence.

“Of course, Lady Sif.” The Malcolm smiled in her direction mockingly. But then he pointed at Thor. “You can hold him, Asgardian.” 

Thor came over and put his hands on Clint's shoulders. Tony slapped a hand over his mouth and started to pace while The Malcolm cut off the wings and then opened the skin on Clint's back where the joints went to his clavicles and Tony heard him groan. The Malcolm cut off the joints and then he pressed his hands onto the wounds on Clint's back. “Bha'sama sala bian da'o. Bha'sama sala bian da'o. Bha'sama sala bian da'o. Bha'sama sala bian da'o.” He repeated and repeated till the blood stopped to flow over Clint's skin and Tony saw the flesh grow together, saw new skin build itself over the wounds and when he stepped away Clint's back was flawless. The Malcolm swallowed and then he turned Clint around, placed a hand on his forehead and one on his chest. “A'dhakrâ'gala ama cu'ri dhâom fialza'san!” Clint arched for a moment before he sagged back. “Bha'i!” He touched once again his forehead and Clint's eyes started to flutter again. 

“I will leave you now, Mr. Stark. You don't have to come with me, I just grab Mr. Poletto and then we leave this world.” He slightly bowed but before he could leave the room Thor and Sif stepped into his path. The Malcolm cocked his head and looked at the two Asgardians. 

“Midgard is under Asgards protection, wrá. If you want to do your business, do it wherever you want but not in our protectorate.” Thor said and The Malcolm looked at him for a long moment. 

“I will not come back to Midgard as long as you live, Son of Odin.” He said and Thor stepped aside and let him pass. 

When he was gone Tony and the others went to the living room in the penthouse and he sat down. He looked tired but he smiled. He had seen Clint move and he knew it was only a matter of time till he woke up.

“Thank you. Thank you all for your help.”

“That's what friends are for, Tony.” Steve smiled, took Natasha's hand and patted his shoulder while leaving. Thor, Jane, Sif and Bruce followed them. 

“Tony?” His heart made a somersault in his chest when he heard the voice. Clint was awake.


	19. Chapter 19

When Tony went back into the room Clint had his eyes open but he didn't seem to recognize where he was or what had happened. He was barely awake, just looking drowsily at him.

“Tony?” he said again and Tony smiled, cupped his face, kissed him and sat down beside him on the bed.

“You're okay. I'm here. Nothing can happen to you. Sleep. You need it, babe.” 

“Okay,” Clint mumbled and leaned back on the cushion and as soon as he had closed his eyes Tony realized that he was asleep again.

“I'll be here for you.” Tony murmured and took the Stark Pad from the nightstand.

 

 

A few hours later Tony had left just a few minutes to get some coffee but when entered the former guest room he found the archer sitting in the bed, staring at all the medical equipment around him but when his eyes fell on him he started to smile.

“Hey,” Tony grinned and went over to Clint. 

“Hey,” the younger man answered and sounded... shy? Tony furrowed his brows. 

“How are you?” He took his hand and Clint shifted in the bed, anxious to get out of it. 

“Dizzy.” Tony couldn't repress a tiny chuckle. 

“Yeah, I can imagine that. Do you know what happened?” 

“I... I've heard it, Tony.” Clint looked at their hands and then up at him. “I couldn't move or do anything but I've heard everything.” 

“You... you heard it?” 

“Yes.” Clint nodded. “It wasn't your fault.” He said and when Tony opened his mouth to protest he put his finger over his lips and shushed him. “Tony, it wasn't your fault.” 

Tony looked away, closed his eyes and nodded. He _knew_ that it was his fault but apparently Clint could read him way better than he thought.

“You couldn't know it and I couldn't tell you. It was his, Poletto's, fault. You wanted to help him but he didn't realize it. If there's someone to blame for all this shit then it's Poletto.” Clint smiled and when Tony didn't look back he placed his hand on Tony's cheek and turned his head.

“Tony, look at me.” He did it. “I've heard everything you've said and...” Tony blushed. “I love you, too.” 

“Clint, I...”

“Please, don't tell me now you've only said that to humor me?” He smirked.

“What? No, god, no. I really meant it.” Clint's smile broadened and he leaned forward, cupped Tony's cheek with his hand again and touched Tony's lips with his. When he eventually opened his mouth Clint touched his tongue with his, licked into his mouth and groaned, when Tony kissed back passionately.

“The wings are gone,” he murmured when they parted and Clint looked over his shoulder. 

“Yes. And it stopped hurting.” Clint placed one hand on Tony's thigh and touched his forehead with his. “Thank you.” 

“You don't have to thank me. It was...” 

“... not your fault.” Clint interrupted but smiled.

“... the least I could do?” Tony tried and Clint chuckled. 

“What will he do to Poletto?” 

“Do you care?” He cocked his head.

“No, not really. As long as he stays away from me.” Clint snorted.

“Oh, I'm pretty sure that he will never come back. Or at least, that he won't be able to touch you again.”

“I know.” Clint swallowed again and looked around. “You built in a complete sick room?” 

“Sure. Do you really think I would have let you rot in a hospital?” 

“No... but this?” 

“Clint...” Tony took both his hands and looked at him earnestly. “Before... you know.. before all this started. You do remember the talk we've had?” 

“You mean _this_ talk?” Clint raised a brow. 

“Yes, this talk. I've been an asshole.” 

“Tony... don't...” 

“Wait. Let me finish, please.” 

“Okay.” 

“After... you know... the break up with Pepper. I've said I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship. But this... I can't... I don't want to lose you. Ever again.”

“Tony...” 

“I love you, Clint.” Tony placed one hand on Clint's waist and pulled him close to himself. “I was so scared when The Malcolm took you, when I had seen what he had done to you. I felt so helpless when you were unhappy and there wasn't anything I could do. And I was so angry when Poletto kidnapped you.” 

“M'sorry,” Clint murmured into his ear.

“I just want to say... stay. Don't go. Stay here with me. I... I want this relationship more than everything I've ever wanted. I want to have you in my life. I want you to move in with me. I want you to be the last thing I see when I go to bed and the first thing I see when I wake up.” 

“Now you sound like a closeted romantic,” Clint chuckled slightly but Tony felt his hand on his neck and Clint's soft lips once again on his.

“I've never been closeted about anything,” he grinned. But then he moved back and rose, held his hand out for Clint to take it and he helped him to stand up. He was a little bit unsteady but Tony didn't expect anything else. Clint was in a coma for two weeks and he couldn't expect him to get up and everything be okay. He will take a bit of time to be himself again after everything that happened to him. But when he led him out onto the deck and the sun caressed his skin Tony and Clint smiled he knew that he would do anything for him. Anything!

Clint went to the railing to look down and over the city and Tony was behind him, wrapped an arm around his waist and placed his chin on Clint's shoulder. 

“Natasha had called Fury and you are off of your SHIELD duty as long as necessary. Take as much time as you need.” He carefully touched the flawless skin over his stomach and kissed his shoulder. “We're here for you, Clint. I'm here. Everything will be okay. Promise.” 

Tony saw Clint nod and then the younger man turned around and faced him. “I know. I love you, Tony.” 

“Love you, too.”


	20. Chapter 20

_**Epilogue**_

_When The Malcolm entered his castle he was furious. Really, really furious. He dragged this guy, Poletto, at his neck and threw him onto the floor as soon as they were inside. The man whimpered and tried to curl into himself but a kick against his temple let him lose consciousness._

_He would punish him later. This man... this bastard! He had not only cost him a lot of work with the damn wings, he had cost him Earth for at least a few thousand years! Damn Asgardians! The gods shall smite all of them! Damn Thor! He knew who and what he was! He had called him_ wrá _, he had recognized him as one of the old race. Damn you! All of you! Bastards! He cursed and kicked the man on the floor once again._

_He knew their guardian, Heimdall, couldn't see him as long as he was in his castle but when he left it he was visible for him on the nine realms and it wasn't a problem for him to fight against one or two Asgardians but against a whole bunch? Not even he could survive that. So, not only Earth but also the other realms were lost... for now._

_Oh, Poletto would pay, he would so pay for the loss of his favorite markets. People on Earth wanted his goods and they payed so well and now he had to find another planet where he could sell his creatures. Where they could pay the sums he needed to pay Pry'Dacor and he wasn't known for his mercy. This man, Poletto, he would curse the day his mother gave birth to him!_

_He swept into his bedroom and out of his cape and suit and into one of his robes. He needed to find another world and put on the vesta clarobservantia to ease his effort to find another one of the porta aitherica._

_He went into his lab, painted a circle onto the floor, inscribed all kind of signs, runes, characters and ideographs before he took one of the potions out of his shelf, drank it and sat down in the circle._

_“A'bâo ai win'dha dhao rai'nea wa'taladur zer'taubra mamaô!” He intonated and let his mandra fly through himself and into the circle. “Ban'ra airthai tweldan'za tala'a'thar'i.” He felt his mind uncouple from his body and fly along the lines of mandra._

_He didn't know how many time had passed when he came back to himself but he grinned when he rose. He found a world where they would love his creatures. He only needed his celestial chart, a few books from his library and a bit time to find the right porta aitherica. But time really wasn't a problem. He had time. Pry'Dacor would come to claim payment but he had still 8122 years left. Enough time to find a way to his new market and enough time to punish his new pet._

**Author's Note:**

> [asamandra on tumblr](http://asamandra.tumblr.com/)


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